What Have We Done?
by ladylibre
Summary: COMPLETE! Fed up with her family's mourning since leaving Bella behind, Rosalie returns to Forks to prove that the stupid human is just fine without them. But what she finds is not what she expected. And that will not do. **A canon-based, drabblish AU New Moon fic.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Twistuff? Not mine.**

 **Hello, again! So yes, this is my THIRD, completely distinct AU New Moon story— apparently I am obsessed with that book, LOL—but it's a bit different than anything I've ever done before, and I'm REEEEALLY EXCITED!**

 **A little background:**

 **A few years ago, I wrote a Rosalie-inspired collection for The Twilight25 Round 8 entitled "Blonde Ambition," and one of the drabbles was inspired by the word prompt, "Covert." After reading that 100-word blurb, my Bestie _jmolly_ said she would looooove to know what happened next.**

 **So this full-grown plot bunny is for you, loviekins!**

 **A few notes before we begin:**

 **1) This story is** **completely pre-written** **!**

 **2) It is entirely in** **Rosalie's POV** **.**

 **3) There are 58 chapters, but because this story is inspired by a 100-word drabble, each chapter is about 200-400 words.**

 **4) But because the chapters are so short, this story will update on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.**

 **5) This is my second-favorite story I've ever written, the first being "Black Ice," another Rosalie-centric fic. I know I said "The Last Word" was my second-favorite, but after completing this one, I've had to change my vote, LOL.**

 **6) Lastly, which is actually always firstly, I SINCERELY hope y'all enjoy this.**

 **Here we go!**

* * *

 **What Have We Done?**

 **Chapter 01**

This is beneath me.

An utter waste of time.

But our family steeps in suffocating grief

And I cannot breathe

Thus I sit alone in a tall Forks pine

Waiting for proof of life.

...

The human is fine

She has to be.

Otherwise our family would implode

And Edward...

Words do not exist to describe it

(and neither would he)

...

The rust-bucket arrives.

The door opens.

And as expected, she's…

Wait.

That's not her.

That cannot be her.

That's barely anyone.

...

She's wrecked.

A girl left for dead

Sacrificed on an altar of her beloved's choosing

Oh god

Oh my _god_.

What have we done?

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 **And we're off!**

 **See you Wednesday! XO**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything in the Twiverse. I'm just playing around in** _ **New Moon**_ **with Rosalie.**

 **Y'ALL, thank you SO MUCH for the overwhelming response to this story already! I gotta be honest—after deciding not to continue "Eternity's Wish"... and having such mixed reactions to "The Last Word"...** **and** **having to put my second novel's publication on hold... my writing mojo is nonexistent.**

 **But I adore my Rosalie and felt she had a story to tell about the time of New Moon, so I'm thrilled y'all are along for the ride.** **THANK YOU.**

 **A few quick answers:**

 **1) E/B get their HEA in the end, but this fic is about Rosalie/Bella, so bear that in mind.**

 **2) This story takes place four months after Edward/the Cullens leave Forks.**

 **3) Most chapters will be 200-400 words. A few might be a little longer, but this is a drabblish fic, and that won't change.**

 **Let's continue.**

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 **What Have We Done?**

 **Chapter 02**

I rub my eyes, doubting my flawless sight for the first time in my immortal life. But the sad scene before me remains unchanged:

Ashen skin.

Lifeless hair.

And a gaze so empty she may as well be dead.

She pushes at the rust bucket's door with a bony hip, and her effort is insufficient to close it. The door swings back, knocking her to the ground, and she falls as if expecting the blow.

As if one more blow hardly matters.

No.

This cannot be so.

This cannot be solely the result of our departure.

(Can it?)

I think of the family I left behind—their lackluster smiles and longing looks—and shake off the question.

Bella ambles to her feet, ignoring the muddy marks on her jeans. Though never the most fashionable girl, her appearance reeks of indifference. She shoves the truck door with both hands, using all the strength her frail body contains. When at last the door shuts, she drags herself toward the porch, barely making it up the stairs.

And when the front door closes behind her, I drop to the forest floor and head toward her house.

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 **Thanks for reading. See you Friday! XO**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything in the Twiverse. I'm just playing around in** _ **New Moon**_ **with Rosalie.**

 **Thanks for all the love, y'all. I REALLY appreciate it.**

 **Let's continue...**

* * *

 **What Have We Done?**

 **Chapter 03**

I march across the street, growing more incensed the closer I get to the house, and stop just short of stomping up the Swan steps.

She cannot do this.

She cannot cease to exist because Edward changed his mind.

People fall in and out of love all the time, and Edward is more fickle than even the average _human_ as he's had years to perfect his emo ways.

For Bella Swan to opt out of living because her heart is broken…

I cannot allow it.

We have no intention of ever returning to Forks, so no one in the family would know of her self-imposed collapse, especially as Alice hasn't scanned the future in months.

"I'm afraid to look," she'd said.

But I could not survive the next seventy-plus years knowing Bella Swan lays the blame for her walking death at our immortal feet.

No freakin' way.

I raise my hand to knock on the door and hear the chief's patrol car backfire at the far end of the street. Annoyed by his timing, I blur back into the forest before he can see me, seeking solace in my tree as Charlie Swan turns into his driveway.

He cuts the engine, and I expect him to rush inside. But he rests his head against the steering wheel, releasing a heavy sigh.

I'm assuming he's just had a rough day at work—and wondering how hard it could possibly be to fight crime in Forks—when a strangled groan fills the patrol car's cabin. Charlie covers his mouth to muffle his cries, but my keen hearing catches every nuance of his pain.

His deep, deep pain.

Suddenly I am reminded of a sound I heard from Carlisle's study last week at a time when he thought the house was empty. But Carlisle did not muffle his cries, and the shock of his naked agony pinned me in place.

And as Bella's father weeps in his car, the stark similarities between that moment and this one make me clutch my silent chest in fear.

What have we _done?_

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 **Have a great weekend—I'll see you Monday! XO**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything in the Twiverse. I'm just playing around in** _ **New Moon**_ **with Rosalie.**

 **On this Memorial Day, we remember those who gave their lives for our freedom. I am so grateful for their sacrifice.**

 **Let's check in with Rose.**

* * *

 **What Have We Done?**

 **Chapter 04**

I was raped by my former fiancé and his four fiendish friends, my bloody, bruised body left for dead, and survived the three-day transition from human to vampire.

But listening to Chief Charlie Swan fall apart in his cruiser is the most gut-wrenching experience of my life, immortal or otherwise.

I clamp my lips shut to stave off the stinging in my eyes, but his every anguished inhale tugs on my heart, demanding its attention. He has yet to say anything intelligible, but I don't need an interpreter to understand.

He cries for Bella.

He grieves for Bella.

He fears for Bella.

Which means things are not as bad as I first thought.

They are far, far worse.

The chief pulls himself together and exits the car, a white plastic bag in hand. The smell is as unpleasant as human food usually is, but I'm touched by his consideration.

I can only hope _she_ has the wherewithal to be so.

He plasters a smile on his mustached face and enters his house with a heavy sigh. "Bells?"

Mere seconds pass, but it feels like weeks before she answers.

"I'm here, Dad."

Her tone is duller than an overcast day at Forks High, and though her voice was always unremarkable, its lack of life vexes me.

"How was school today?" he asks.

"Same as yesterday."

"Good!" His reply rings with optimism he cannot possibly feel. "Did you eat yet?"

"Not hungry."

"You might change your mind when you see this! Something new from the diner." I hear the rustling of the plastic bag as he removes its contents. "Mushroom ravioli."

There is a sharp gasp before Bella cries out, "Oh god!"

"Bella?"

"I… I can't eat that…I can't eat that.…"

"It's okay! You don't have to. I'll eat it or take it for lunch tomorrow. Or one of the guys at the station might…"

"Because there was a guy. Let's call him Joe."

"What was that, honey?"

"With a girl. Let's call her Jane." She laughs, but there is no humor in it. "And they were there together: Joe and Jane."

"At school?"

"But it was hypothetical." She sniffles as her voice breaks. "It was all hypothetical, all hypothetical…"

"Is this from a play you're reading in… no, Bella, don't… please don't go…"

Heavy footfalls cadence her tears, and as a door slams, Charlie swears under his breath.

A cloak of silence envelops the house, and I am resolved.

Come nightfall, I'm going in.

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 **And this time, she means it.**

 **I truly appreciate all the follows, recs, and reviews for this story. I apologize for not replying to all the reviews... I'm actually trying to finish another story that I want to post when WHWD finishes posting... two stories, actually... but please know that I read every review and they all matter to me. THANK YOU SO MUCH.**

 **See you Wednesday! XO**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything in the Twiverse. I'm just playing around in** _ **New Moon**_ **with Rosalie.**

 **Had a few questions about the Joe/Jane reference. It's from the** _ **Twilight**_ **novel when Bella/Edward are at Bella Italia, and Edward is explaining how mind-reading works... hypothetically. That's why seeing the mushroom ravioli triggered Bella's response.**

 **And I hear you on wishing the chapters were longer; I really do! And to know that so many of you feel that way about WHWD... and aren't bored/put off by the short chapters... is incredibly moving and awesome. So thank you!**

 **Meanwhile, Rosalie is going in.**

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 **What Have We Done?**

 **Chapter 05**

Before... _this,_ I wanted to pummel Edward for sneaking into Bella's room at night like some creeping tom. I ignored Alice's attempts to explain his logic and dismissed his decision as further proof of his lovesick lunacy.

But as I remove the spare key from its oh-so-clever faux rock under the porch, I roll my eyes.

I cannot believe I am doing this.

Having considered the matter, I recognized the wisdom of entering the house while everyone is asleep. I cannot predict how the Swans might react to me showing up at their front door after so long, and I am no humor for an ugly confrontation.

Even if some part of me wonders if I might deserve it.

I close their front door without a sound and take a steadying breath. I have never been inside the Swan house, and it reeks of fried fish and despair.

I hardly know which is worse.

Chief Swan is passed out on the couch with the remote on his chest, the bluish-gray from the television casting angry shadows on his face. He looks exhausted, and if what I overheard tonight is any indication of the last few months, it is a miracle he still functions.

Though I expect the empty beer cans on the side table, the open photo album beside them is a surprise. Pictures of a brown-haired, doe-eyed girl greet me, and I close the book, tucking her safely away on a shelf.

Flashing upstairs and into Bella's room, I give myself a moment to adjust to my surroundings. I find nothing of interest in the décor or mood of this space and wonder again what had my brother so fascinated.

But it matters not now.

Though in no danger of stumbling, I tread lightly as I near Bella's bed. She wears the same clothes as earlier, the same haunted expression even in slumber, and I cannot believe I ever envied the human ability to sleep.

From some things, it seems, there is no escape.

I search her face for signs of life—a flinch, a lip quiver, a furrow of her untamed brows. Something to indicate the girl I had no use for is somewhere still in there amid the sorrow. But save the uneven rise and fall of her chest, there is nothing proving the slightest hint of lingering humanity.

Until she opens her eyes and looks right at me.

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 **Whoops! See you Friday!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything in the Twiverse. I'm just playing around in** _ **New Moon**_ **with Rosalie.**

 **SURPRISE, SURPRISE!**

 **Tomorrow I'll be swamped—school fair for the younger two and Senior Prom for my 18yo—so I figured I'd update WHWD now.**

 **Annnnd... DOUBLE SURPRISE... I've decided to update this story EVERY OTHER DAY! So you're never more than one day away from a new chapter.**

 **You can thank me later—right now, Bella's eyes are open!**

* * *

 **What Have We Done?**

 **Chapter 06**

We stare at each other, the broken human and I, and time stands still.

This is not supposed to happen— _none of this is supposed to happen!_ —and I am panicked inside, fearful of what might happen next.

But I shake off those nerves, remembering who I am and who I am not.

I am not one for letting emotion rule me. I do not believe in vacillation or letting proverbial chips fall wherever they damn well please.

I am a woman of action, a woman who gets things done while others sit around idling in indecision.

Or in this case, lie in bed staring in silence.

So I blink first.

Bella does not react, so I retreat slowly, putting a polite distance between us. She follows my movement with her unblinking gaze, and I begin to believe she is still asleep.

Until she sits up and stretches, the crackle and pop of her limbs breaking the silence. Yawning grandly, she attempts to run a hand through her tangled hair before looking at me again. "Hey, Rosalie."

I am so shocked by her level of calm it takes me a moment to respond. "Hey."

"What time is it?"

"Uh..." I check my watch. "Just after midnight."

"Wow, I fell asleep. Yay, me."

"Yay, you."

"That's one thing I can do that you can't." Her smile doesn't reach her eyes. "Jealous?"

"A little."

"Score one for the human." She tilts her head. "You look weird."

"What do you mean?"

She looks me up and down. "You're dirty."

"Yes." I brush errant tree soot off my jeans. "Yet you're not surprised to see me."

"Why should I be?" She fluffs a flaccid pillow to no avail. "I once went to school with five animal-drinking vampires. It can't be that hard to hallucinate one."

"What?"

"Come on." She shakes her head. "How else could I be seeing you right now?"

Without another word, Bella turns over and curls onto her side. She draws her knees into her chest, wrapping her arms around her midsection. A well-worn blanket lies rumpled near her bare feet, and my fingers itch to straighten it out.

"It figures though," she mutters.

I'm almost afraid to ask. "What does?"

"I would see the one who hates me."

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 **Thanks for reading. See you Saturday! XO**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything in the Twiverse. I'm just playing around in** _ **New Moon**_ **with Rosalie.**

 **Happy Saturday! Let's go...**

* * *

 **What Have We Done?**

 **Chapter 07**

Bella grumbles herself to sleep, and I keep my perch against the wall, unconsciously monitoring her breathing. As it approaches a steady rate, I reflect on our first meeting and sift through her reactions.

I skip over her belief that she's hallucinating. I have never expressed a desire to see Bella in our entire acquaintance, so that assumption is as sound as any other. The truth would not occur to her naturally, and for now, I am content to let her believe the lie.

But as she rolls over with her eyes pinched shut, her latter conclusion floats through my mind, and I am filled with something akin to discomfort.

Bella thinks I hate her.

And that... that also makes sense, doesn't it? I never tripped over myself to befriend her like Alice and did not find her amusing like Emmett. I did not offer her parental protection like Carlisle and Esme and did not place her at the center of my existence like Edward. Even Jasper worked to protect her in Phoenix—despite his desire to make her his next meal—whereas I refused to let her wear my clothes. Which I admit was not my finest moment.

But hate her?

That is a bit strong, not to mention wholly inaccurate. I would have to _care_ to hate, and I don't care enough about Bella to hate her. I am only here because my family lies in shambles in Ithaca, and I refuse to live any longer amid the debris.

I turn away from Bella's sleeping form and pull out my phone to check my missed call log. Emmett has reduced his frequency to once an hour, and Carlisle has given up. They know I am prone to random disappearances, but not checking in for three days is unlike me. And with Edward off the grid and out of his mind, I feel guilty for adding to their worries.

I am pulling up Esme's name when Bella starts thrashing in bed. She murmurs something about someone being distracted, and before I can close my phone, she sits up and screams bloody murder.

And were I still alive, the sound would probably scare me to death.

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 **Enjoy the rest of your weekend—see you Monday! XO**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything in the Twiverse. I'm just playing around in** _ **New Moon**_ **with Rosalie.**

 **Happy Monday!**

 **Well, maybe not for Bella and Rosalie...**

* * *

 **What Have We Done?**

 **Chapter 08**

I drop my phone in shock, her primal screaming piercing me in the heart. I press myself against the wall to escape the clamor but to no avail. She shakes and shudders, clutching her chest as Edward's name falls brokenly from her trembling lips.

I expect her to awaken, to startle herself out of her nightmare, but to my surprise—and extreme alarm—she remains asleep, eyes pinched shut as tears roll down her ashen face. I have never seen anything like this, and it is only the sound of Charlie rushing up the stairs that forces me to stop staring at Bella and hide.

I ghost under the bed, grabbing my phone just as he enters the room. He shushes Bella gently, wearily, but his loving declarations do nothing to quiet his daughter's screams. She is tormented, haunted by more than my alleged apparition, and as her thrashing continues above me, I begin to wonder exactly what happened that day in the forest.

At length, the movement stops, her shouting subsides to whimpers, and Charlie rises from the bed. I hear the rustling of blankets as he tries to restore order to her life, and from the length of his sigh, I know he knows his efforts are useless.

"He broke you," Charlie whispers. "That worthless boy broke you, and now… what do I do with the pieces?"

Bella does not respond, steady breaths signaling her return to sleep.

"I want to help you, Bells. God knows I do. But this, I… I don't know what to do about this."

His earlier tears return, and he rushes from the room before the sobs overtake him. I roll out from under the bed and cover my mouth with both hands before collapsing against the wall. My golden eyes sting with tears I cannot cry, and I wonder how much worse things will get.

 _What have we done?_

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 **What indeed, Rose? What indeed?**

 **Thank you so much for the recs and reviews—they mean the world to me.**

 **And thank you for understanding the style/nature of this fic. I love drabbles because they get right to the heart of the matter, and I think they are the perfect vehicle for capturing Rosalie's personality and purpose in this story. She's a prickly one, my Rose, but I love her to pieces and love that so many of you are giving her a chance.**

 **See you** **Wednesday!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything in the Twiverse. I'm just playing around in** _ **New Moon**_ **with Rosalie.**

 **Thank you SO MUCH to the awesome ladies at The Lemonade Stand for featuring "What Have We Done?" this week! I am so touched and honored by each of you who followed their suggestion and came to check out me and my Rose. I hope you come to love us :)**

 **Let's check in, hmm?**

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 **What Have We Done?**

 **Chapter 9**

For several nights, I have a routine:

Sneak into Bella's bedroom.

Wait against the wall for her to awaken, dismayed to see me.

Watch her toss and turn until she falls asleep again.

Hide under the bed when she raises the dead with her screaming.

Weep in silence as Charlie tries and fails to comfort her.

Lather, rinse, repeat.

To my surprise, Bella never addresses me directly beyond a greeting. I wonder if some part of her subconscious knows I'm really here and is protecting her from disclosing things she will later wish she'd kept to herself.

Or perhaps she has nothing to say to the hallucination who hates her.

But though she doesn't speak to me, she often mutters things I don't understand:

"How can you be distracted?"

"I thought no one would bother me again."

"Why is she here?"

Unbeknownst to her, I have been asking myself that very question all week. And have yet to arrive at a satisfactory answer. And beyond that, what am I to do with all I have heard and seen? For if I were to do anything, how do I know my choice would not make things worse?

( _Could_ they get worse?)

I shake off that thought and give myself some credit for continuing my post by her window. Bella is more restless than usual tonight, perhaps because the coming weekend lacks the distraction of school to fill her days. Although if her grades are any indication—I saw the progress report on her desk—she is barely surviving there as well.

Is there no area of her life left unaffected?

An hour before dawn, Bella stretches awake and comes to her feet. I back up to give her some space, and she half-smiles in my direction.

But as she rounds the bed, she trips over the corner of the tattered comforter, and I reach out to steady her. As I make contact with her body, any relief I feel that she hasn't injured herself escapes on a muttered curse when I realize what has just happened.

And what she now knows.

She gasps when she doesn't hit the floor, her startled gaze fixed on the firm grip I have on her arm. Slowly looking up, she licks her dry lips and swallows hard.

"R-R-Rosalie?"

I offer a nervous smile. "In the flesh."

With widening eyes, Bella yanks her arm away and scrambles to her feet. She rubs her arm, looks at me, then does something I should know to expect by now.

She screams.

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 **Well, yeah. Wouldn't you?**

 **See you Friday! XO**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything in the Twiverse. I'm just playing around in** _ **New Moon**_ **with Rosalie.**

 **SURPRISE!**

 **Why two updates in one day? Because I felt like it.**

 **(And because jansails is awesome.)**

 **Hope you enjoy it.**

* * *

 **What Have We Done?**

 **Chapter 10**

This scream isn't as terrifying as her nightly offerings, but its volume frightens me to the core.

"Bella, calm down!" I whisper urgently.

"Oh my god!" She backs against the wall, her chest heaving. "OH MY GOD!"

"Bella, shhh!"

"No, no!"

"Bella, please!"

"I can't believe you're really—"

I glance at the door. "Crap!"

"Bella?" Charlie rushes in and turns on the light just as I escape under the bed. "Are you all right?"

I hold my breath, bracing for her to blow my cover.

"What? Oh, yes!" Bella clears her throat. "Yes, Dad. I'm-I'm fine."

"Then why did you scream?"

"I saw… I mean, I thought I saw… something."

I see Charlie's feet move toward the bed. "Where?"

"Over there! Um, by the closet! I thought… thought I saw a spider."

His feet shuffle, and he heads the opposite way. "In the dark?"

"It was probably a shadow, but it was huge. Scared me to death."

Skepticism colors his voice. "But you're okay now?"

"Yeah. I think I'll be okay now."

"Okay." Charlie hesitates near the door. "Well, good night, Bells. Or should I say, good morning."

"Yeah." Her chuckle is forced. "Good morning, Dad. I'm sorry for waking you."

"That's all right. I'll, uh... I'll be right down the hall if you need me."

"Okay. Thanks."

After the door closes, I slide out from under the bed and come to my feet, brushing dust bunnies from my legs.

Bella drops into the rocking chair by her desk, her gaze slowly finding my face again. And as her brown eyes fill with tears, I have an epiphany.

I should have stayed in that tree.

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 **See you Friday! XO**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything in the Twiverse. I'm just playing around in** _ **New Moon**_ **with Rosalie.**

 **SO MANY interesting reactions to the last two chapters! I love hearing your thoughts, so keep 'em coming!**

 **I also got a lot of questions about what's going to happen, who might show up later, and what Rosalie is going to do, and... y'all know I can't tell you that stuff, LOL!**

 **But I promise you will get answers... eventually, hehehe.**

 **(Oh, and there was a surprise update of Ch10 the other night. Go back in case you missed it.)**

 **Meanwhile, here's the longest chapter so far. Enjoy!**

* * *

 **What Have We Done?**

 **Chapter 11**

Bella rocks soundlessly back and forth, and all I can do is watch.

(But what else is new?)

She peeks at me from time to time but continues to cry, wrapping her arms around her fading frame. This rolling awareness is worse than her nighttime terrors, and I cannot believe how badly I have screwed this up.

"Bella… please stop crying."

"All this time," she mumbles to herself. "All this time, I thought I was losing my mind."

"I know."

"I mean, how else would you be here? You hated me and probably threw a party when you left me behind."

"That's not how it…"

"So why would you be here? Why would you of all people come back to…" She raises her teary gaze to mine, wiping her nose with her sleeve. "To what? To make sure I haven't revealed your secret? To gloat that you finally got your wish? To finish what he started?"

That last one brings me up short. "What does that mean?"

She looks away. "It doesn't matter."

I want to press the point, but her bobbing knee reminds me of her fragile nerves. "Believe it or not, Bella, I didn't come here to hurt you."

"Then why?" Her voice breaks on the word. "Why did you come here and watch me in the dark and make me think you weren't real when—"

"That was an accident!" I lower my voice lest Charlie overhear. "I came in here that first night just to check on you, and you opened your eyes and I didn't know how to explain—"

"But why sneak in while I'm sleeping?" She wipes her face with the back of her hand. "I mean, is that in the creepy vampire handbook or something? When you don't know what to say to the human, just stalk her dreams?"

I open my mouth, but the words won't come. Every possible excuse crumbles in the face of her pain, and I sink onto her bed, careful not to break it with my weight.

"I didn't intend to keep coming here while you were asleep, Bella," I say at length. "But we'd never had an actual conversation before, and I didn't know how to approach you after all this time, so yes, I came in to observe you while you slept, thinking I could learn something or hear something that might help me figure out what to say to you.

"But you woke up almost as soon as I got there, called me a hallucination, and screamed in your sleep. And I was just... just so unprepared for all of that. So I stayed that night until you calmed down and left before you woke up, like I've done all week. Tonight you were more restless than usual, and I was going to leave when you calmed down, but you woke up before I could."

I look up at her, holding her watery gaze. "I can only imagine how this sounds, but please know that I never intended for us to start this way or to trick you or make things worse. I never meant to scare you, and I'm just... I'm sorry."

Bella sighs, the weight of it pressing on me from across the room. "Why did you come here, Rosalie?"

"I came... I came to prove a point. To myself, to the family, I don't know. All I know is they are not doing well, and I thought... I thought I could come here and push us out of limbo."

Her brows furrow. "I don't know what that means."

I close my eyes, feeling suddenly, profoundly tired.

 _Neither do I._

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 **Thanks for reading—see you Sunday! XO**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything in the Twiverse. I'm just playing around in** _ **New Moon**_ **with Rosalie.**

 **Happy Sunday!**

 **Let's get right to it.**

* * *

 **What Have We Done?**

 **Chapter 12**

"The family isn't doing well?"

Bella's voice is raw as she has been silent for the last hour, and I match her volume. "Yes."

"What's wrong with them?"

I snort. "Something's missing."

"Like an heirloom?"

"You think they're not doing well because they're missing an heirloom?"

She shrugs, folding into herself. "I don't know them anymore, so that reason is as good as any other."

The baldness of her reply stuns me, filling me with ambiguous shame.

"For what it's worth, I don't think they know themselves anymore either."

"Then what chance did I have?" she murmurs.

The words themselves are straight-forward, but I once again have the feeling that we are having two very different conversations. Or more to the point, that she knows something I don't know... but something she doesn't know that I don't know.

And I don't know how to know the something I don't know.

"I had so many questions," she continues. "So many things I asked Alice in those emails she never got. Now you're here, and I don't know what to say. Or if I want to say any of it to you. No offense."

"None taken."

"And that's assuming I actually believe you're here. I mean, I know you're real because you touched me and we're talking and all, but..." She looks toward the window, her eyes glassy. "I've been wrong about what's real before."

Her words pierce me, but some budding instinct warns me not to pursue that train of thought too soon.

For now, my goal is just to keep her talking.

"Well, you can believe I'm real," I say. "I have the very real leaves in my hair to prove it."

"What?"

"Well, like I said, when I got here I didn't think I could just wait for you on your porch. So I hid across the street in a tree."

"Oh. That explains why you're dirty." Her expression falls a bit. "That also explains why I thought you were just another hallucination."

I pretend not to hear that last part because she cannot mean what I think she means. Then again, with everything else I've heard and seen this week, could anything really be impossible anymore?

"Were you ever going to tell me you were real?" she asks.

I blink, startled by the question. "I want to say 'yes,' but I had no real plan for when or how to do so. Because I never intended to stay and watch you, but after you..."

"So if I hadn't tripped over the comforter?"

Guilt weighs down my sigh. "I would have waited until you left the room, jumped out the window, and ran back to my tree."

"And I would have come back to this room, found it empty, and continued assuming I was hallucinating."

I look away. "I'm sorry."

"You keep saying that."

"Because it's true." I lean forward, clasping my hands together. "I admit this has been a disastrous start to... to whatever this is going to turn out to be. But you said it yourself—you have questions."

She stares at me. "And?"

"And I realize you would probably rather be talking to Alice or Esme or E..." She visibly braces herself, and I change directions. "E-Anyone else. But I'm the one who's here, and despite the way things have gone, I want to help you."

"Why?"

I shrug, a small smile about my lips. "Because I have nothing else to do."

She snorts, fighting a smile of her own. "I'll bet."

"But before I do anything for you." I come to my feet. "I need you to do something for me."

She blanches, all traces of humor gone. "What?"

"I need you to walk out of this room, go across the hall, and take a long, hot shower." I wrinkle my nose playfully. "Because only one of us should smell like we've been spending quality time in a tree."

I expect Bella to roll her eyes at my attempted humor.

I expect her to cock an eyebrow at my audacity.

I even expect her to sniff her armpits, doubting my assessment.

I do not expect her to leap from the chair and throw herself at me, locking her arms around my neck as she buries her face there.

"No, Rose! No!"

* * *

 **Looks like it's two steps forward and five steps back with these two. Well, at least they're trying, right?**

 **Thank you all so much for all the follows, recs, and reviews! I'm hard at work prewriting my next story-an AH high school fic-so I'm not replying as often as I'd like to. But I read and cherish all of your thoughts and appreciate your passion for my Rosalie... even when some of you want to smack her, LOL! :)**

 **Enjoy the rest of your Sunday, lovelies. I'll see you Tuesday! XO**


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything in the Twiverse. I'm just playing around in** _ **New Moon**_ **with Rosalie.**

 **Hiya! Time for another update :)**

 **If you're inclined, see the A/N at the end.**

* * *

 **What Have We Done?**

 **Chapter 13**

The shock of Bella hurling herself at me is quickly replaced by concern that she somehow hurt herself in the process. Bella Swan is easily the most accident-prone human in the northern hemisphere, and it would be just my luck that she broke an arm trying to hug me.

A fact which would be only slightly more alarming than the hug itself.

I try to dislodge her from my body to assess possible injuries to her own, but she holds on tighter, shaking her head. "Please, God, no!"

Unable to move her, I instead try to verbally engage. "Bella, what's wrong?"

"Don't make me do that, Rose."

"Why not?"

"Because I can't!"

"Why not?"

"I just can't!"

"Okay." Taking a deep breath, I manage to carefully unlock her arms from around my neck, finding them as bony and intact as before. "The thing is... I've been here for almost a week, and you haven't touched the tub this entire time."

"I know, but I'll... I'll do anything else you want." Her eyes are wild with fear. "I won't ask about anyone or try to make contact anymore, but please, please don't ask me to do that."

I grip her hands gently. "Tell me why not."

She looks down, biting her bottom lip. "B-b-because if you aren't here when I come back, I don't... I don't think I'll be able to take it."

"What?"

"Before today, before I knew you were real, a part of me swore I'd dreamed you all up, that none of you… that you never existed." She trips over the last phrase, her heart rate doubling for some reason. "But you're here, you're really here, and that... that means it happened. All of it, for better or worse, really happened. And if I... if I walk out of this room, I risk losing my proof of that, and I can't do it, Rose. I just can't do it."

She stumbles forward, burying her face in my chest, and my hands come around her, seemingly of their own volition. I have never seen her display so much emotion, honestly didn't believe her capable of it.

I wonder if any of us did.

"Hey, now." I rub her back as she weeps, shushing her gently so her father won't hear. "It's okay. I'm here."

She blubbers a response that even my supernatural hearing doesn't catch, but I don't ask her to repeat it. At length her tears subside, and I feel comfortable pulling back. She rubs her eyes with the back of her hand, and I hold up a waiting finger.

"What are you doing?" she sniffles.

"This is the bracelet Emmett bought me for our 50th anniversary. I would sooner shave my head than part with it." I unhook the clasp. "Give me your wrist."

Bella's eyes widen, but she extends a bony arm. The bracelet is way too big, but I wouldn't dare remove it now.

When the weighted gold chain comes to rest against her skin, a fresh round of tears spills over her cheeks, and she looks up in wonder. "It's real."

"Yes. And like me, it will still be real and still be here when you finish your shower."

"You promise?"

I make a crossing motion over my heart. "On my love for Emmett."

Bella runs her fingers over my bracelet, her heart stuttering in her chest as she thinks it over.

"Okay," she sighs. "I'll go."

And for the first time in minutes, I feel as if I can breathe again.

* * *

 **Minor A/N here:**

 **I'm sure most of you have figured this out by now, but this story, though not a Bella/Rose romance, is a "slow burn."**

 **Remember that at this point in canon, Bella and Rose have ZERO relationship—and until a few chapters ago, Bella thought Rose was a hallucination—so Bella is in no way ready to confide in Rose about anything personal, and Rose is not naturally inclined to pry. They are still feeling each other out, learning to trust and adjust to their strange new dynamic, and that's gonna take a while. So things will progress, just likely slower than some of you might like ;)**

 **Just wanted to say that. See you Thursday!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything in the Twiverse. I'm just playing around in** _ **New Moon**_ **with Rosalie.**

 **Thank you all for your encouraging words about the pace of this story. I'm still nervous about how you'll take it... even though we're already about 25% through this thing... but as usual, I have come to realize I have THEEEE BEST READERS in the fandom.**

 **So thank you again. And happy Thursday! :)**

* * *

 **What Have We Done?**

 **Chapter 14**

It takes another three minutes for Bella to actually head toward the door, two of which are spent searching for her towel—a mission I eventually call off in favor of unearthing a fresh one.

Though "fresh" might be an overstatement.

With a shaky hand on the doorknob, she turns to me once more. I make an elaborate show of sitting in her rocking chair and folding my hands. She gasps, not exactly pleased, and I prepare to change seats.

"No!" she yells then covers her mouth. "You can stay there."

I study her gaze, learning nothing, and lean back. "Then I will."

She nods, watching me longer than I expect, and exits the room. Another door closes nearby, followed by the sweet sound of running water.

I release a weary breath and clasp my head in my hands, trying to wrap my mind around the events of the past several days. Beyond her tears and fears, there is something else. Something huge and important and so damn obvious, I will surely feel foolish when I later realize what it is.

But revelation will have to wait as my phone buzzes in my pocket. I needn't check the clock or Caller ID to know who it is, and I answer the call without delay. "I'm sorry."

The relief in Emmett's voice floods my soul. "Please don't ever do that again."

"I'm sorry." It is all I can say as I am now on the brink of tears. "I shouldn't have left without telling you."

"Why, Rosie?" He is only concerned—not angry—and I don't think I have ever loved him more. "Why did you do that?"

"I…" I bite my lip, dying to be honest. But some dissenting impulse stops me, and I rub my tired eyes. "I just... I had to get away."

"From me?"

"No, Emmie. Never from you." I look around the empty room, thinking of all I have heard and seen here. "I did it... for me."

He doesn't press the matter, choosing as usual to respect my boundaries and my refusal to disclose my location. He likely assumes some suppressed memory from my human past prompted my hasty departure, and I feel surprisingly little guilt allowing him to believe that.

But to my surprise, he doesn't mention the family as he tells me about his past week. And the more he talks, the more I realize that's probably for the best. Until we are whole again—all of us—the less said there, the better.

Yet with Emmett, there is no real need for words at all, and I content myself with the peace of his silence for another 10 minutes. During that time, the distant sound of Bella's rumbling stomach reminds me of another human need, and I make a mental note to insist she eats after she gets dressed.

And as if on cue, the water in the shower cuts off.

"I have to go," I say.

"Okay." Though I know he hates this as much as I do, he hides his feelings better. But then, he has always been stronger than I am. "I love you, Rosalie."

"And I you, Emmett." There are no words. "Thank you for... for letting me do this."

"Anything. Always."

The phone goes silent, and I cover my mouth, suddenly overcome with longing. I miss him powerfully, the distance between us crashing over me like tidal waves. And I can barely fight the tide.

I hold the phone in my hand, tapping it lightly against my chin, and briefly consider flying out the front door and back home to my man on the first plane smoking.

Until the bedroom door opens to admit the sad-eyed girl who needs me.

I tuck the phone in my pocket and greet her with a gentle smile, knowing somehow Emmett will understand.

* * *

 **Awww, I just love Emmett, don't you? I don't write him often, but when I do, I just wanna give him a big ol' hug :)**

 **See you Saturday! XO**


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything in the Twiverse. I'm just playing around in** _ **New Moon**_ **with Rosalie.**

 **I know I keep saying this, but it keeps being true: THANK YOU for all the love, support, and enthusiasm for this story. Your reviews and thoughts totally rock my socks!**

 **Let's continue...**

* * *

 **What Have We Done?**

 **Chapter 15**

"Feel better?" I ask.

Instead of replying, Bella's eyes widen comically. "You stayed."

"Yes."

"Wow, I… I didn't think you would."

"And leave my bracelet? You must be joking."

A ghost of a smile appears on her face, and the glimpse of the old Bella confirms that I'm doing the right thing.

"How was your shower?"

She pulls the towel more tightly around her body. "Very relaxing, thank you."

We watch each other in polite silence until I notice she's shivering. "Well, I'll leave the room so you can…"

"No! I mean, can you just turn around?"

"I can do that."

I face the corner of her room, studying the wrinkles beneath the wallpaper. Counting the ticks of the wall clock, I hum to myself as a drawer opens behind me. "Bella?"

"Yes?"

"When is the last time you ate?"

Even with my back to her, I feel her embarrassment. "Umm... yesterday morning."

"Was it a full meal?"

"Technically. It was Carnation Instant Breakfast."

"What?"

"It's like a breakfast shake that has 21 essential vitamins and minerals and thirteen grams of protein."

"Well, I don't know what any of that means, but from what I've observed, 'instant' doesn't usually mean healthy."

"Decent."

"Yes, a decent breakfast is certainly preferable to a..."

"No, I mean, _I'm_ decent." I hear the small measure of pride in her voice. "You can turn around now."

Though ever critical of her appearance in the past, I cannot hide my pleasure at seeing just how decent she looks. Her hair is finger-combed into some measure of straightness, her clothes fresh and clean, and her skin finally seems more rosy than pale.

"Decent, indeed." I match her smile. "And a decent woman needs a decent meal."

"Fine." She opens her desk drawer to reveal a pile of assorted granola bars, selecting one with a blue wrapper. "Charlie used to leave these on my nightstand every morning for the first month. Every day they disappeared, so he thought I ate them. Never had the heart to tell him he was wrong."

She unwraps the package, takes a small bite, and hums insincerely. "Yum."

A loud bark of a laugh escapes me, and I cover my mouth as Charlie pops up in the next room.

Stupid humans and their sensitive hearing.

"Crap." I shake my head. "Charlie's awake."

Bella glances at the clock. "It's almost time for his fishing date with Billy Black anyway. Stay here and I'll go to him."

I stand behind the door just to be safe as Bella goes out into the hallway. Charlie's bedroom door opens, and he gasps when he sees her. "Bella?"

"Hey, Dad." I hear the flick of the bathroom light. "Forgot to get my dirty clothes off the floor."

"That's all right, honey." His relief is palpable. "It's good to, uh... good to see you up and about."

"Good to be up."

"The question is... did you leave me any hot water?"

"Barely." I can hear her smile. "So you'd better make it a quick one."

"Eh, I'll just skip the shower. It's not like the fish will care."

"Yeah, they've got no room to talk about how anyone smells." They chuckle together, and I hear the rustling of clothes. "Well, have fun today, Dad."

Charlie's gruff voice warms my heart. "I will now, kiddo. I will now."

* * *

 **Tomorrow is Father's Day, so I'm stoked that this is today's update. Charlie is another unsung, underused hero of the Saga—just like my Rose—so I relish chances like this to show him the love.**

 **Thanks for reading—see you Monday! XO**


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything in the Twiverse. I'm just playing around in** _ **New Moon**_ **with Rosalie.**

 **Happy Monday! Longest one so far.**

* * *

 **What Have We Done?**

 **Chapter 16**

Bella returns to her room and shuts the door. "I don't think he'll come by, but let's whisper just in case."

"Good idea."

She tosses the empty wrapper in her wastepaper basket, patting her stomach. "That wasn't half bad."

"It qualifies as a start, but I would like to see you eat something that had parents."

She frowns then catches my meaning. "Like you do?"

"Not quite like I do, but that's the general idea." I look out the window, watching the colors change in the sky. "While you were in the shower, I talked to Emmett."

Her heartrate doubles, and I realize my words could be misconstrued. "He's been calling for a while, and I finally answered. I didn't mention you, so don't worry."

"I'm not, but..."

"But what?"

"What do you mean by 'finally'?"

"Well, I didn't want to talk to him after I left because I didn't know what to say."

"Why not?"

Something in her tone makes me wary, and I clear my throat. "I basically decided on a whim to come here and didn't want anyone to ask me why or try to stop me or, God forbid, tag along. So I left without saying goodbye and figured..."

"You what?"

"It's no big deal, really. The family knows I'm prone to occasional disappearances, and Emmett is used to it by now."

She turns away with a long roll of her eyes. "Sure, he is."

"He is." She snorts, and I fold my arms beneath my chest. "He really is."

"Then why are you getting upset?"

The front door closes downstairs, giving me a chance to compose myself. I wait for Charlie's car to back out of the driveway before addressing his daughter again. "I am getting upset, Isabella, because you are judging this situation without knowing anything about it."

Her laugh is bitter and short. "Like you've never done the same?"

"Not without good reason."

"There is no good reason for what you did! There is never a good reason to make decisions without your mate, especially if..." She looks away, her voice quavering. "Especially if those decisions are going to take you away from him."

Her eyes are wet again, her hands balled into tight, little fists, and I realize we have officially changed the subject. The uniqueness of her mated bond with Edward is not lost on me, but I cannot allow such a mischaracterization of my relationship with Emmett.

"Bella, look. I hear what you're saying, and... and I get why you'd see it that way." I lower my voice in both tone and volume. "But this situation with Emmett... it's not what... I mean, I wasn't leaving _him._ I was leaving to take care of something important, and he understands that. Because no matter how long I might be away or what I might be doing, Emmett knows I belong to him and will always come back."

But even as the words pass my lips, a snippet from our recent call floats through my mind...

" _I just... I had to get away."_

" _From me?"_

" _No, Emmie. Never from you."_

... and it hits me:

He _didn't_ know.

Even after all these years together, when I took off without saying goodbye, Emmett didn't know that I wasn't _leaving him_.

And if he didn't know that, then he probably didn't know I was coming back.

But before that troubling truth can hit me fully, my gaze trails over to Bella—perched on the edge of the bed, her knee bobbing up and down as she fights tears that have already fallen. And as I watch that familiar sadness seep back into her face, something comes into sharp, sudden focus. Something that should have been obvious the moment I saw her from my tree:

Bella is broken because she _knows_ Edward isn't coming back.

Which makes me immediately wonder _how_ she can know that.

I could understand her wondering _if_ he'll return, even doubting its likelihood based on the length of his absence so far. No one in the family has said so aloud, but we all assume Edward intends this separation to be permanent.

(Though before this week, I didn't think I cared one way or the other.)

But there is a world of difference between us believing in Edward's intention to stay gone and me actually witnessing Bella's certainty that he will. Her level of brokenness is beyond mere longing, far beyond the dejection in Emmett's voice on the phone.

I know the situations are vastly different—partially because I have been away for only a week—but Emmett was mainly worried because I didn't tell him goodbye...

Edward did tell Bella goodbye, and she is convinced he isn't coming back...

An icy pool of dread solidifies in my stomach, and I feel as if I might vomit.

If Edward convinced Bella he isn't coming back, I am almost afraid to ask how he did that.

* * *

 **Gotta be honest here: I was reeeeeally nervous about posting this chapter. I don't know why exactly, but my stomach is about as knotted as Rosalie's right now.**

 **Anyhoo, thanks for reading. See you Wednesday! XO**


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything in the Twiverse. I'm just playing around in** _ **New Moon**_ **with Rosalie.**

 **Thank you for such a huge response to the last chapter. I honestly don't know why I was so nervous about it, but y'all totally eased my fears, and I am humbled by your encouragement!**

 **And a special welcome to those who discovered my little fic thanks to ADF's "What the Fic?" last week. Glad you're here!**

 **(As an aside, if you saw this fic rec'd somewhere, please let me know where or from whom so I can properly thank those folks. Thanks!)**

 **Let's continue.**

* * *

 **What Have We Done?**

 **Chapter 17**

It takes but a few moments for that careening train of thought to speed through my mind, and I am grateful for my supernatural ability to appear calm while my insides are aflame.

I wouldn't want Bella to be more frightened than she already is.

She seems not to have noticed the silence my epiphany produced, and for that I am grateful. As it stands—or should I say, as she sits—her hands are clasped in her lap, and her downcast gaze poorly shields me from the evidence of her tears. She is so fragile and frayed and so thoroughly scathed that the last thing I want to do is further upset her.

Yet I burn with curiosity, an almost tangible need to know, and could not possibly abide staying here without being satisfied.

So I take a deep, slow breath as I have watched the humans do when preparing for a difficult task, turning to face Bella on the exhale. She must sense my attention because she looks up, and the grief in her eyes breaks my heart.

"I'm sorry for yelling at you," she murmurs.

"It's all right."

"No, it isn't. Your relationship with Emmett is none of my business."

"Sometimes we need someone else to get in our business," I say gently. "To help us see what we would otherwise miss. And I think... I think if Emmett were here, he would thank you for what you said."

She sniffles. "Even the yelling?"

"Especially the yelling." I move closer to her, dropping slowly to my knees. "Sometimes it's the only way to get my attention."

She shrugs a bony shoulder, and I lean back on my haunches, ensuring her head is higher than mine. "Bella, I need to ask you a question."

"Okay."

"And I... I need you to answer me honestly."

She winces. "I can't promise that without knowing what you're about to ask."

"That's only fair."

"Fair. Sure."

I soften my gaze but do not look away. I suddenly think about Esme, her tenderness and patience, and try to channel her demeanor as I begin.

"Bella, on that... on that last day, what did Edw..."

"No." She springs to her feet with shocking speed. "No."

"No?"

"No, Rose, I..." She tucks clenched fists into her armpits, shaking her head rapidly. "I can't talk about that."

"I understand why you feel that way, and I get it." I pause. "Do you trust me?"

She looks at me. "What?"

"Do you trust me?"

Her brows wrinkle in thought as she sighs. "Do I trust anyone?"

I realize the question is rhetorical and await the rest of her answer.

"I mean, there's Charlie, and he's always been the same, so that's... that's different. But beyond that, trusting you or... or anybody, I just don't... I don't have it left to give." She looks up. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." I offer a gentle smile. "I asked you to be honest, and you were. That's the best thing you could have done."

I come slowly to my feet, swallowing my disappointment. She's not ready to talk about what Edward did... _especially with you_ , my mind adds silently... and I wish I could just lift the truth from her mind.

That would be so much easier than this.

But she hasn't ordered me away nor does she seem angry with me for asking the question. And as only an hour or two have passed since she realized I am not a hallucination, I choose to accept this small step of progress and not push for more.

For now.

* * *

 ***sigh* She tried, and sometimes that's all we can do.**

 **Thanks for reading—see you Friday!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything in the Twiverse. I'm just playing around in** _ **New Moon**_ **with Rosalie.**

 **Longest chapter yet—nearly 1,000 words!**

* * *

 **What Have We Done?**

 **Chapter 18**

A strange but not unpleasant silence falls between Bella and me, and she flops back on her bed. Her hand comes down hard on the rumpled sheets, and she tilts her head with a frown.

"What's wrong?" I ask.

"I can't remember the last time I changed these." She bends to take a deep whiff, jerking back with a start. "Wow."

I'd stopped breathing through my nose an hour ago and am now grateful for the foresight.

She comes to her feet and yanks the sheets off the bed. "That's just gross."

"Where are the extras?"

"In the top of the closet. And could you grab that lavender comforter too?"

I find the desired items and set them on her desk chair, pleased by the turn of events. Cleanliness is next to godliness, for sure, but for my sake, I hope it's also close to friendliness.

I need Bella to trust me before she'll tell me anything about what happened with Edward. But as I watch her make her bed, I realize that I can't coerce her into it with pathetic attempts at girl bonding or deliberate displays of sympathy.

Bella has to trust me because she wants to. And right now, I can't say for sure that she does.

She fluffs the pillows and sets them against the headboard. "It's better," she says with a small frown. "But it's still pretty stale in here."

"I can fix that." I walk toward the window and reach for the latch. "I know it's cold out, but a little fresh air will..."

"No!"

I jerk backwards, startled by her volume. "What's the matter?"

"I don't..." She mashes her lips together, but her eyes water anyway. "I don't open that. Now. Anymore. It used to be the way... but now it's just..." She closes her eyes on a heavy sigh. "I just leave it closed now, okay?"

I nod and step away from the window, oddly relieved. This time, I actually know what this is about, and I now have a clue of what not to do. If Bella isn't ready to talk about Edward, then I must avoid doing anything that might remind her of him.

So I focus on something he never would have done.

"Okay." I clasp my hands together. "I'm going to go dow..."

"What?" Bella turns to me, her face draining of all color. "You're going?"

"Yes, I'm going downs..."

"Rose, no! Look, I'm sorry about the window. Go ahead and open it if you want. And you can ask me anything and I'll tell you the truth, I swear!"

"Bella, you don't have to..."

"I'll do anything you want, say anything you want, just please don't leave me, Rose..." She has crawled across the bed to fling herself at me, tears streaming down her face as she grips my shirt. "I'm sorry I disappointed you, but please don't go."

"Bella..." On instinct, my hands slide around her back, enveloping her in my embrace. "Honey, shhh."

She weeps into my chest, saturating my shirt, and I am both devastated and furious. Her fear of abandonment breaks my heart, but when I contemplate why she's so afraid, the answer makes my fingers itch with the need to destroy something.

Or someone.

"Bella, listen," I manage to whisper despite my growing rage. "You said you weren't ready to talk, and I respect that. I would... I would never use your pain against you or treat you badly because of it. And if... no, because I'm sure I have done so in the past, let me apologize for that now. But that's not what this is."

"But you..." Her words are muffled against my damp shirt. "You said you were going."

"Yes. Going downstairs to make you a proper breakfast."

"Oh." She pulls back, wiping her face. "I didn't... I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry about." I cup her chin gently to make her look at me. "So stop apologizing."

She hesitates to meet my gaze but finally does. "Okay."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Okay. So I'll be heading to the kitchen now." I turn toward the door. "Any preferences?"

"Something light, I guess." I hear the creak of the bed. "But do you even know how to cook?"

"You just ate something that sat in a drawer for three months. I'm pretty sure whatever I make will be more substantial than that."

Bella sniffles through a chuckle as I open the door, and my mind turns toward possible food options.

"Could you hear us from your tree?"

My hand freezes on the handle. "I'm sorry?"

"While you were across the street in that tree, could you... could you hear what was going on in our house?"

"Yes."

"Like, clearly?"

"Yes. Vampires can hear with perfect clarity almost 200 yards in any direction." I turn to face her. "Why?"

She shrugs, standing up to refold her comforter. "Just curious. And if you're making eggs, I like mine scrambled with a little dill."

I wait a moment before leaving the room, trying and failing to make sense of her last line of questioning. Though I never shared Edward's desire to read Bella's mind, I now understand why keeping up with her thought process was so maddening for him.

Once in the kitchen, I find eggs and butter in the refrigerator and soon locate the small jar of dried dill in a cabinet. A half-loaf of bread idles on the counter, and I decide to make her some toast when the eggs are done.

I am cracking the second egg when her small voice floats downstairs.

"I should have known something was wrong when he suggested we take a walk in the forest..."

* * *

 **Thanks for reading—see you Sunday! XO**


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything in the Twiverse. I'm just playing around in** _ **New Moon**_ **with Rosalie.**

 **No preamble—let's go.**

* * *

 **What Have We Done?**

 **Chapter 19**

" _I should have known something was wrong when he suggested we take a walk in the forest..."_

I go completely still, all breakfast preparation forgotten. And as I process what she just said, I now understand why she asked about my hearing radius.

I step away from the kitchen counter, sit in the nearest chair, and give my full attention to the girl upstairs.

"He had been weird since the night of the party. Avoiding eye contact and barely touching me. Even in school, he was just... different. I tried to tell myself that he just needed a day or two to adjust, that it would pass. But in my heart, I knew better. I knew... I knew what happened at my party had changed things. So when he asked me to take a walk with him, I should have known something was about to change.

"When he said we were leaving Forks... I of course thought he meant 'we' as in 'us,' him and me and the family. I realize now how stupid that was. He'd tried to convince me to go with Renee to Jacksonville after the whole thing with James, so why would I think he would take me with him when he left Forks?

"So when he clarified that only the actual Cullen clan would be leaving, I should have just accepted that and left it alone. I shouldn't have offered to come with him, invited myself along. I was just setting myself up, basically backing him into a corner and forcing him to admit the truth.

"Of course he didn't want me to come. Our lov... what we had... it was a charade, a masquerade. And he was tired of pretending, which makes total sense. So when he said he didn't want me to come, I shouldn't have been surprised.

"When he said I was no good for him though... that surprised me. Not because it couldn't be true—I mean, of course it was true, and I had been trying to tell him I wasn't good enough for him all along—but because he always seemed like too much of a gentleman to ever admit it. Once he said that, the rest was a foregone conclusion, and I should have seen it coming.

"Come to think of it, I should have seen it all coming. Hearing he didn't want me shouldn't have gutted me, shouldn't have knocked me down the way it did. It never made any sense for him to want me, so hearing him say he didn't... it shouldn't have hurt, not the way it did. Because I already knew that. I already knew I wasn't anything he should want. Maybe it was rude of him to say it, but I shouldn't have been surprised.

"But then he remembered his manners, I guess, because he told me he'd always love me in a way, which was better than nothing. But he also said his kind is easily distracted, so... I don't know what I'm supposed to do with that. He also asked me not to do anything reckless for Charlie's sake. I don't really know what to do with that either.

"But it doesn't matter now, if it ever did. He said that day in the forest was the last time I'd hear from him. He wouldn't come back and it would be like he never existed. And for all the promises he ever made, that's the only one I know he'll keep. He's gone and will stay gone, and there's nothing more to be said about it.

"He also said the family was done, that you all were already gone by the time we talked, so I had no chance to say goodbye to any of you. He insisted on a clean break, he said, even though Alice supposedly protested. So you can understand why I was sure you weren't real. Then again, if anyone would defy his wishes, it would be you. So thanks for that.

"But you wanna know the one thing I keep asking myself? The question that haunts me above all others: why didn't he stay gone? I mean, I can explain away the rest—him saving me from the van, protecting me from James, even wanting to celebrate my birthday. But if he didn't want to pretend, why did he bother coming back from Alaska?

"I mean, had he just stayed gone, all of this could have been avoided. Was it pride? The refusal to let some stupid human run him off? I guess he of all people is arrogant enough for that to be true, but why rescue me from blood typing that day? Why follow me to Port Angeles? Why sneak into my bedroom at night to hear me say his name? Why tell me about his planned suicide-by-Volturi if James had killed me if what we had wasn't real...

"See, this... this is why I didn't want to talk about it. Because one question always leads to another and another and another, and the wound doesn't heal because my mind isn't like a sieve, no matter what he said. And what the hell did he know about my mind? He couldn't even read it! So he didn't know I would remember it all—every word, every caress, every kiss as a promise—and that I would never forget a single thing.

"And when I think about those things and what he said in that forest, I'm back in that moment, falling apart all over again..."

Without conscious thought, I finish making her breakfast and blur upstairs in a matter of seconds. She gasps when I appear in her doorway, her heart racing as I set the tray beside her on the bed.

"Your eyes are black," she says shakily, her own eyes widening at the sight.

I want to respond, to tell her it's all right, but I cannot speak. A blistering rage rolls inside me, and I have to get out of here before I explode.

Keeping my gaze on her, I walk backwards to her door as slowly as I can. When I reach the threshold of her room, I point to my bare wrist and raise my brows, hoping she catches my drift.

Bella looks down at her arm, runs her thumb over my bracelet, and looks up again, nodding once.

By the time she takes her next breath, I am already gone.

* * *

 **WOW. That was a lot. How are we doing out there?**


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything in the Twiverse. I'm just playing around in** _ **New Moon**_ **with Rosalie.**

 **It has been so cool—and a little scary—hearing your very vivid ideas of what Rose should do to Edward. Bella is so lucky to have so many of you in her corner! (And Edward betta watch his back, LOL!)**

 **Let's see what Rosalie actually does.**

* * *

 **What Have We Done?**

 **Chapter 20**

I run.

Hard, fast, and focused, fury fueling my pace as I fly through the forest. I know not where I am headed, only that I need to go far enough to be safe from human view but not so far that I cannot return to Bella in a short amount of time.

Bella.

My heart sinks at the thought of her, awash in a wellspring of confusion, sadness, guilt, frustration...

And above all, rage.

Blistering, blinding rage.

I feel positively reckless, an untamed thing, so I run harder, testing the limits of my unnatural physicality. I punish the ground with every step, stomping hard enough to leave fissures beneath my incensed feet.

But it is not enough.

Nothing I can do could ever be anywhere near enough for Bella.

All because of Edward.

His very name brings me up short, and I come to a sloppy stop, nearly tumbling down the rocky mountain I have apparently reached. My hands ball into fists, my hackles rising, and the urge to destroy something is so palpable I actually feel the venom coursing through my dead veins.

I had no idea, none of us did.

Alice only saw his decision to leave, the moment it became cemented in his mind.

I remember that moment with perfect, painful clarity: Alice hitting the ground in a sobbing heap, Jasper bouncing the family's sadness around the room, Esme falling into Carlisle's helpless arms, Emmett shaking his head with his broken heart on his sleeve, and me watching it all from a safe emotional distance, clueless about its eventual significance.

We didn't know what he said to her, if he said anything at all. We knew only that we now had to leave Forks as well. And by nature of the covenant, we had to do so on Edward's terms.

We didn't know what those terms signified.

We didn't know the effect our departure would have on any of us, least of all her.

And we certainly didn't know he had done _this_ , that he _could_ do this to her.

"HOW?" I screech to the air. "How could he do this to her?!"

How could he leave her?

Reject her?

Deceive her?

Because yes, the human memory is faulty on a good day, but a woman never forgets the words a man uses to break her. So I believe every word Bella said.

Then again, Edward is especially crafty with his words. He never says what he does not mean, but he seldom tells the entire story.

So I heard Bella's story, heard what she said.

But the longer I reflect on _what_ he said, the clearer it becomes why he said it.

He said he didn't want her to come because some part of him wanted her to have a regular, human life. He said he didn't want her because his struggles with accepting their bond made that statement true enough. He said she was no good for him because in challenging everything Edward ever thought he knew, Bella was the worst thing that could have happened to him.

But he never said he didn't love her... or that he never loved her... because even at the height of his assholery, he couldn't say that.

And because he loved her, he never should have said any of the rest.

But he did. He did say all of the rest because he's Edward. Because he's a stupid, reckless, selfish, arrogant, manipulative ass of a man.

I punch a hole in the nearest rock face, the ancient stone turning to dust beneath my fist. I punch it over and over and over, envisioning Edward's smuggest expression with every blow.

But the longer I hit the rock, the less satisfied I become. And as I step away, swiping rocky remnants from my barely bruised fist, I come to a decision.

I am going to kill him.

I am going to hunt that bastard down and kill him.

I am going to break his legs and beat him with them.

I am going to tear out chunks of his flesh with my teeth and spit them back at him.

I am going to drag my fingernails down his face and laugh at his tears.

I am going to do whatever it takes to make him feel the way Bella feels right now, the way she has felt since the day he lured her into the forest and...

I drop to my knees and release a roar so loud it shakes the ground beneath me. I scream and cry and howl to the skies as my eyes sting in the wake of the answering wind. I cry for Bella, for the hours and days and weeks she carried this burden alone. I cry for Charlie, for his heartbreaking impotence in the face of his daughter's pain. I cry for my family, unaware of the damage left in their wake.

And I cry for Bella once more because she deserves all my tears.

When at last I fall silent, I notice the buzzing of my phone and ignore it. I know who it is and what she wants and I don't want to hear it.

I don't want to hear what she _sees_ will happen if I carry out my plan.

I don't want to hear that I'm making a mistake and need to listen to reason.

I especially don't want to hear her defend his actions as she is often wont to do.

In fact, I don't want to hear anything other than Edward's location so I can burn him alive and dance in his ashes.

And because I don't want to hear the buzzing of my phone, I yank it from my pocket and prepare to smash it beneath my feet.

But when I catch a glimpse of the caller ID, my brain cramps in confusion, cooling my rage to manageable embers. I come slowly to my feet and answer on a shaky breath.

"Esme?"

* * *

 **Thanks for reading. See you Thursday! XO**


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything in the Twiverse. I'm just playing around in** _ **New Moon**_ **with Rosalie.**

 **Sorry for the delay today! I've been out of the house since this morning and only just got home.**

 **Let's see why Esme's calling.**

* * *

 **What Have We Done?**

 **Chapter 21**

"Rosalie?" Her warm voice is slightly alarmed. "Are you all right?"

I cannot answer that honestly, so I say nothing. The sound of her voice has completely confused my mood, and I don't trust whatever might come out of my mouth next.

"I know you needed some space," she continues. "But Alice said you needed me."

"What?"

"Alice told me to call because you needed me." She sounds confused. "Was she mistaken?"

"No, but... did she say anything else?"

"No."

"So she didn't tell you why she thought I needed you?"

"No."

My eyes narrow, even though she can't see it. "She didn't say anything at all?"

"No, but now I'm starting to think you should tell me yourself." Her voice softens. "What's going on, honey?"

I sigh heavily, drowning in the warmth of her concern. Falling back against the very rock I just destroyed, I slide to the dusty ground and rub my forehead.

"Are you alone?" I ask.

"Yes."

"And this conversation will stay between us?"

"Outside of whatever Alice might see, yes."

"And whatever..."

"And whatever she sees, I will tell her to keep to herself," Esme finishes my thought. "Now what has happened?"

"I don't even know how to tell you this..." I close my eyes and take a deep breath. "Okay. I saw Bella."

"You...?" The tremor in her voice tugs at my heart. "You saw Bella?"

"Yes."

"How?"

I take her through the logic in Ithaca that led me here nine days ago. I tell her what I saw and heard upon my arrival and what I have attempted to do about it.

But when I start to tell her exactly what Edward said, some foreign instinct steers me in a more general direction.

"The way she behaves, the things she says... I'm starting to think Edward deliberately led Bella to believe he didn't want her." I continue through her gasp. "And maybe went so far as to make her think he will never come back."

"You mean, like he intends to stay away from her forever?"

"That is my impression of things, yes."

"Well, that's what we all thought, isn't it?" The musing quality of her voice is replaced with horror. "But for him to actually say such a thing to Bella? I can hardly believe it!"

"I know."

"And why? Why would he do that?"

"I don't know."

"Is that why he insisted we sever all ties?" she asks sharply. "Because he didn't want us discovering the extent of what he did? Did he hide behind the terms of the covenant to keep us in the dark?"

"I don't know, Mom!" I pinch the bridge of my nose, annoyed at myself when I remember who else does that when frustrated. "I just... I am so pissed at Edward I can hardly see straight! I don't know what the hell he was thinking, but I'll bet he has no idea the state he left her in."

"I know."

"That girl is a shell of the person she used to be, and I just want to kick Edward's ass from one end of the earth to the other for what he did to her! And I have every right to do it because Bella trusts me and she deserves..."

Three of those words cut through the clamor in my head, and suddenly they are all I hear.

Bella trusts me.

Bella.

Trusts.

Me.

She trusts me not only to come back to her, but she trusts me with the truth of what Edward did to her.

She didn't tell me that truth so I could tell Esme, which some part of me must already know.

She didn't tell me so I could exact revenge in her name.

She didn't even tell me so I could be angry on her behalf.

She told me because she trusts me to share her burden and help her carry it.

And in order to do that, I need to be with her, not out in the wilderness having a tantrum.

Or gleefully plotting her absentee mate's demise.

"Rosalie?" Esme asks when the silence has dragged on too long. "Are you still there?"

"Yes. But I... I need to get back to Bella."

"Of course." I can feel her smile through the phone. "If there's anything I can do…"

"I will let you know."

"Thank you. And I won't say anything to Carlisle if you don't want me to."

I don't hesitate. "Tell him."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." I look back in the direction of the Swan house. "I would never ask you to keep a secret from your mate."

At least, not anymore.

* * *

 **Again, I'm sorry for taking so long to post today, but I hope you feel this chapter was worth the wait.**

 **Enjoy your Fridays, and I'll see you Saturday! XO**


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything in the Twiverse. I'm just playing around in** _ **New Moon**_ **with Rosalie.**

 **OH MY GOSH, y'all... this story just reached more than 1,000 reviews. I am flabbergasted, awed and honored by your support. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!**

 **Let's continue with Rose and Esme.**

* * *

 **What Have We Done?**

 **Chapter 22**

Before ending the call, I find the presence of mind to ask Esme how she has been. But in typical maternal fashion, she says what she always says.

"I will be fine when all of my children are fine."

I cannot help but snort. "Good luck with that."

"I don't need luck," she says kindly. "I have you."

I laugh aloud. "If I'm your best bet, you might want to cash it in now."

"Oh, honey. You never see the best in yourself beyond the mirror. But you are so much more than that. Your heart, your compassion… it is your most beautiful quality."

My skin crawls with the need to escape her praise. "Okay."

"And... well, along those lines, may I ask a favor?"

"Of course."

"Give Bella a big hu..." She clears her throat. "I mean, if you don't think it would make things awkward between you… tell her I'm thinking of her. That we all are."

I don't think Bella is anywhere near ready to hear something like that, but I appreciate the sentiment. So I tuck it away for another day.

"I love you, Esme."

"Oh, I love you, too, Rose. Take good care of her."

"I will." I end the call on a heavy sigh. "At least, I'll try."

I fly back to the house at twice the speed. My phone reveals I have been gone for a half hour, and though that seems like the blink of an eye to me, I hope it hasn't been longer for Bella. Time passes differently for humans and takes its sweet time at the most sour of moments.

So I rush inside and up the stairs, pausing only to knock at her bedroom door. She gasps, her heartbeat picking up, and only then do I smell the salt and moisture in the air.

Dammit.

"C-c-come in," she sniffles.

I grip the door handle with a smile pasted in place, but inside I am seething. Why did I have to be gone so long? Why couldn't I have handled this better?

I should call Esme back and tell her to take my place because I am succeeding only in making Bella feel worse.

And just as I expect, she is hunched over in the center of her bed, tears rolling down her face. I can barely look at her, so great is my shame, but if I am woman enough to further break her heart, then I should be woman enough to face her.

"I'm sorry," I begin. "I had no idea I would..."

"Please don't apologize, Rose." She tries to smile through her tears. "Not to me."

"I have to apologize, Bella. You opened up to me, shared your deepest pain in excruciating detail, and what did I do? I got so pissed that..."

"...you needed some time alone to process it." She shakes her head. "Do you know what seeing your reaction did to me?"

"I have a pretty good idea."

"I don't think you do." She straightens up. "I really don't think you do."

Something in her tone makes me swallow my rebuttal, and I soften my tone. "Why don't you tell me then?"

She looks down, shaking her head again, and I take a seat in the rocking chair, waiting her out.

"Up until now," she begins shakily. "No one knew exactly what happened that day. Charlie suspected, Sam and Billy assumed..."

"Sam and Billy?"

"From La Push. Sam, uh... Sam found me that night in the woods and carried me back home."

"That night?" Bella starts at my tone, and I fold my hands. "I'm sorry to keep interrupting, but I'm confused. I thought you spoke to Edward sometime during the day."

"I did. Right after school." She looks away. "But after he left, I... I went looking for him, chased him, really. Which was stupid because it only got me lost in the woods."

Thank God for the foresight to fold my hands because if they weren't clasped in my lap, I would have broken the arms of this chair.

 _You can't kill him. You can't kill him. You can't..._

"See?" Bella cries, her voice breaking through my thoughts. "That's exactly what I mean!"

"I don't understand."

"Rose, before today, no one knew what happened to me. And even though some people assumed he dumped me, their reactions were always mixed with pity or annoyance. Some even thought I must have deserved it, drove him away somehow. And even though they were right, I never felt like they really got it, ya know? They had the right to their opinions, I guess, but there was no way I could tell them the whole story without revealing things that had to stay secret. So in a way, how could I trust their reactions when they didn't know everything?"

She looks up, her brown eyes shining. "But when you walked in here after hearing the truth, your anger made me feel vindicated, understood somehow. Even though I don't think I have the right to be upset with him for finally getting bored with me, seeing how my story affected you made me feel as if somehow... in some weird, small way, my pain is... valid.

"So these aren't tears of sadness, Rose." She somehow smiles through the admission. "They are tears of relief and gratitude that someone finally knows the truth, and that maybe, just maybe my pain finally matters. So thank you. Thank you for getting so pissed and letting me see it. I really, really needed that."

I lean back in the chair, rocking back and forth, struck completely dumb.

"Oh, and thank you for breakfast." She indicates the clean plate on her tray. "I guess I really needed that too."

I finally find my voice and say the only thing I can think of.

"You're welcome."

* * *

 **I just love these two... almost as much as I love all of you.**

 **Enjoy the rest of your weekend—see you Monday! XO**


	23. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything in the Twiverse. I'm just playing around in** _ **New Moon**_ **with Rosalie.**

 **Happy Monday! And a special welcome and shout-out to BitterHarpy. Thanks for rec'ing my little fic and for being so amazing in general.**

 **(And if you haven't started her new fic, "The American Princess," you might wanna get on that. Just sayin'.)**

* * *

 **What Have We Done?**

 **Chapter 23**

We sit in a silence that isn't entirely uncomfortable, my mind whirring with conflicting thoughts.

I want to reveal that I spoke to Esme, even as I am almost certain that the knowledge will only hurt her somehow.

I want to tell her precisely how angry I am... how "angry" barely covers it... but do not want to make this moment about me and my feelings.

Most of all, I want to tell her I'm sorry for... for everything she experienced after our departure. But given our relationship back then, my complete disregard for hers with Edward at the time, I feel the words might come across as insincere at best and downright insulting at worst.

But as I reflect on one particular part of her earlier confession, I realize there is something I can say, something she probably does not know and might benefit from hearing.

I think.

"Bella?"

She is smoothing out a stubborn wrinkle in her bedspread. "Hmm?"

"I want... there's something I would like you to know, something related to our leaving Forks. Not _his_ leaving," I hasten to add. "Just... just ours, the family."

"Oh." Apprehension seeps into her voice. "You don't have to explain."

"I know, but I think... I think it might do something for you. Help, maybe?"

She shrugs, not looking up. "Okay."

"Okay." I come to a stop in the rocking chair, dragging a hand down my face. "Do you... have you ever heard about our family covenant?"

Her brow furrows. "Like the reason you don't drink from humans?"

"No, um... the covenant between the eight of us. The mated pairs, specifically."

She shakes her head. "He wouldn't have told me about that."

"Why not?"

She switches her attention to the lint on the comforter. "Because we weren't a mated pair."

I snort. "That's rich."

"What?"

"Nothing. I shouldn't have said that."

"I didn't hear you anyway, so it doesn't matter."

I grit my teeth, growing more annoyed at myself and more furious with _him_. In fact, I suspect I will be perpetually furious with him until the day he makes this right.

And the more I learn about what he's done, I hardly know if such a day is even possible.

"So, the covenant..." Bella says. "Was there something you needed to say about it?"

"Yes, I think, well, I hope, it would help. But I'll have to back up a little to explain it."

"Okay."

"When Edward took you home after your birthday party," I begin slowly. "We suspected what might... what could happen next. The decision had hovered in the air since James and his coven arrived, and though we survived that attack, the possibility of... of departure never fully dissipated."

Though her breath hitches, she remains silent. So I press on.

"The family held out hope that things could be different, that another choice could be made. But no matter what Edward decided, once he fixed upon a course, we were honor-bound to travel that course with him, no questions asked."

The devastation that crosses Bella's face cuts me deep. "What?"

"We are a family of couples—families within a family, in essence. Most of the time, decisions within a couple will not have a major impact on the larger family, like when Emmett and I decide to live apart from the group on occasion. But there are other times when 'couple decisions' will have a major impact on the family, such as Edw... such as the decision he made a few months ago.

"So to preserve peace in the larger clan without trampling on the rights of the individual pairs, we established a covenant stipulating that once a decision is made within the mated pair, the family must respect that decision, even if they completely disagree with it."

Bella has taken to worrying her bottom lip now, her heart racing in her chest, so I look away to finish what I've started.

"I don't know how much any of this will help. But I thought you should know that we were still in Forks when he... when you had that conversation with him. And the terms of the covenant required us to not to interfere in any way. And I... I wanted you to know that because independent of that, the family never would have left you, let alone without saying goodbye. Though I might have been capable of such indifference, I think you know the others are not, under normal circumstances at least."

Bella doesn't reply when I finish my little confession, and as she idles in unreadable silence, I begin to suspect that I should have kept my big mouth shut.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading. Enjoy your Independence Day (if you celebrate it), and I'll see you Wednesday! XO**


	24. Chapter 24

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything in the Twiverse. I'm just playing around in** _ **New Moon**_ **with Rosalie.**

 **Thank you SO MUCH for all the reviews and recs. TRULY.**

 **And now I have a rec for you. Seriously, this is almost a demand.**

 **Go to my Favorites and start reading "Masen Has Fallen" by OtherRootVegetable. This AH WIP has ev-er-y-thing a reader could want—amazing characters, long chapters, unique plot, snappy dialogue, heart, soul, humor, citrus... just EVERYTHING. And leave a review or two because they just make this writing thing all the more worth it.**

 **Okay? Okay. Now let's get back to Bella and Rose.**

* * *

 **What Have We Done?**

 **Chapter 24**

The tension is killing me as Bella takes her time responding to my words, and I think I'm about to burst when she finally looks up.

"Thank you for telling me that," she says. "I don't... I'm not really sure what to do with it, but thanks all the same."

I am profoundly relieved that she isn't angry with me, that I haven't ruined the tentative peace between us. And some part of me knows I should leave well enough alone and let her work out the truth on her own.

But when have I ever left anything alone?

"Do you... do you understand though?" I ask gently. "The point I was trying to make?"

She frowns immediately. "I don't think I should say it."

"Why not?"

"Because I... I just don't want to make things weird."

"Bella, I've been sneaking into your room for the past week. I think I've cornered the market on making things weird."

She half-smiles. "That's true."

"So whatever you're thinking... I'm sure I can handle it." I settle back in the rocking chair. "So hit me with it."

"Well..." She nibbles a piece of loose skin on her bottom lip. "I mean, it kinda sounds like you were justifying why the family left without saying goodbye. Which is what I'd expect, I guess. That you'd want to take up for them, even when they're at their worst."

I clamp my lips shut, trapping my first response lest I undo whatever good my being here has done. Because even though that was not my point, I can easily see why this is how she would interpret my words.

Honestly, with everything she's been through, how could it be otherwise?

"And I don't blame you," she adds when I don't reply. "I mean, I did the same for Renee and Charlie and Ed... and other people I love because that's what you do—you try to make sense of what they do... especially when it hurts."

"Bella..."

"So don't think that being here with me means you have to betray them." She looks at me then, her brown eyes serious despite their sadness. "I wouldn't ask that of you."

"That's not..." I exhale slowly through my nose. "That's not what I was trying to do."

"Well, even if it were..." She is interrupted by a huge yawn, her eyes slow to open when she's finished. "Sorry."

"Don't be. You woke up before dawn and didn't sleep well last night. Maybe you should take a nap."

Expecting her to protest, I am surprised when she stands up to pull back the covers. "Maybe you're right."

I come to my feet. "Do you want me to wake you at a certain time?"

She glances at the clock, doing a double-take. "Is that right?"

"Yes."

"Wow." She shakes her head as she slips between the sheets. "It feels like it's been a day since I found out you were real, and it's only been a few hours."

"You can say that again."

Bella looks at me as she settles against the propped pillows. "I know... I know things have been a little up and down this morning, and I'm sorry I can't get my emotions together better. But I'm... I'm really glad you're here, Rose. I mean it."

The words are simple, and nothing her behavior hasn't already indicated. But the way she says them... the look in her eyes... I feel as if my heart might actually burst in my chest.

"Thank you..." I try to cover the tremble in my voice. "Thank you for letting me be here. After the way this started, you... you would have been completely justified in throwing me out."

"And after seeing what you saw that first day, you would have been completely justified in staying in that tree." Her eyes brighten suddenly, and she clasps her hands together. "Come to think of it, there is something I need you to do for me. Something non-negotiable."

And despite the warmth from a few moments ago, my heart tightens in my chest for an entirely different reason.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading—see you Friday!**


	25. Chapter 25

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything in the Twiverse. I'm just playing around in** _ **New Moon**_ **with Rosalie.**

 **For those who didn't see my message last night, I am SO SORRY for the delay in posting. Our internet was doing the mess-around all day yesterday, and I couldn't get online until this morning. Thanks so much for your patience!**

 **I hope you feel it was worth it, as we find out what Bella wants...**

* * *

 **What Have We Done?**

 **Chapter 25**

I have no idea what Bella is about to say.

No idea if I'll be able to comply.

And no idea how non-compliance will affect our tentative peace.

So when she finally lays out her non-negotiable request, I am too stunned to respond.

"Did you hear me?" she asks.

I blink, uncertain. "I heard you. I just... I can't believe you said that."

"Why not?"

"Because... with everything else going on, I just can't believe you're thinking about _that._ "

"Well, that's your fault," she says archly. "You've changed my outlook, Rosalie. And I can't go back now."

"Which means..." I fold my arms. "You want me to take a shower."

"I demand that you take a shower. And change your clothes." She looks me up and down, wrinkling her nose. "Because neither of us should look like we've been spending quality time in a tree."

I bark a laugh, relief flooding my soul. "You scared the crap out of me!"

"Why?" She seems genuinely confused. "What did you think I was going to ask you?"

"I don't know! Something you thought I might refuse."

"Well, I know these aren't the swankiest accommodations, so I didn't think you'd be willing to shower here. Plus..." She tilts her head. "Do you have, like, luggage or something?"

I shake my head. "I wasn't exactly planning to stay, remember?"

"Right." She looks away but not in sadness, snapping her fingers in a burst of inspiration. "Oh! Renee sent me some clothes a few weeks ago, trying to cheer me up. They are not my style and one size too big, but I think they'd be perfect for you."

"One size too big?" I arch a brow. "Are you suggesting I'm fat?"

Her eyes widen, then she catches my tone. "I'm saying you're thick. Is that better?"

I snort another laugh and follow her directions to the large bag in the back of her closet. "Saks? Has your mother ever met you?"

"I think the Florida heat is getting to her."

I look inside the bag, unable to hide my feelings. "This… this is really decent of you, Bella. Thank you."

"You came back, Rosalie," she says softly. "This is nothing."

Her words hover in the space between us, and I am content to enjoy them without responding.

Until another yawn spurs me into action.

"I'm going to let you sleep now." I remove the breakfast tray from her bedside table. "Sweet dreams."

She is burrowing under the covers and pauses. "Wow."

"What?"

"This... this is the first time since my birthday that might actually be possible."

"What might be possible?"

She meets my eyes again. "Sweet dreams."

Her gratitude is overwhelming, and I offer a tight nod. "I'll see you when you wake up."

"Mmm-hmmm." She snuggles against a pillow. "And this time, I won't scream."

I smile because I know she wants me to. "I'm holding you to that."

I close the door behind me, leaving the bag of clothes just inside the bathroom. I take the stairs at a human pace, needing to keep a tight lid on the supernatural side of myself.

Because if I lose the slightest bit of control right now, I will lose it all.

I set the tray on the counter and expel a heavy breath. Bella is already snoring, and the sound of her slumber should fill me with peace, satisfaction, and maybe a bit of pride.

And although a small part of me feels these things, the rest of me is stuck.

Stupefied and stuck.

This situation... this entire situation is so utterly screwed up I hardly know how to wrap my mind around it. Bella, though slowly clawing her way out of the dark, is still clueless about what is really going on here. She doesn't understand our family, her relationship, and especially how those two parts intersect.

And after only a few minutes of relative peace, I don't think she's anywhere near the point where explaining it to her is possible.

I thought telling her about the family covenant would be the perfect way to start, even as the explanation itself was lacking. I had to be sure she could handle the first part before I even attempted to address the more difficult nuances.

Nuances we didn't have to consider before her relationship with...

I cover my mouth with both hands, trying to suppress the growl rising from my bowels. The thought of him... the very idea of what he has done to her... _I_ can hardly bear it, and I only learned of his treachery an hour ago! How the hell Bella Swan isn't streaking through town, screaming the obscene truth about our family is anyone's guess.

Her humanity—both physical and philosophical—would never allow it, but she owes us an eternity of misery, an endless outpouring of her rage and resentment.

 _Him_ most of all.

She owes each of us all of that and more, and we would consider ourselves grateful to take it.

But Bella would not do that to us, even were she actually able, and for one very simple reason.

She still loves him.

After all he has done, with all his absence continues to do, Bella still loves my brother. She hasn't said it... hasn't even said his _name_ in my presence... but she doesn't have to.

Even as only an echo of her former self, everything she essentially _is_ still exists and always will.

And everything she essentially is still loves Edward and always will.

Because he is her mate.

Which not only makes this situation in urgent need of a remedy, but it moreover makes his decision to stay away from her both impossible and illogical.

Damn him!

Damn him to the very hell in which he insists he belongs!

But I cannot damn him without damning her, and the truth of that causes my breath to leave me in a broken _whoosh_.

I shouldn't have stayed in that tree, but I should have been better prepared.

For her, for this, for what has happened, and especially for what needs to happen next.

 _Whatever the hell that is._

* * *

 **Thanks for reading—see you Monday.**


	26. Chapter 26

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything in the Twiverse. I'm just playing around in** _ **New Moon**_ **with Rosalie.**

 **Wait. Today ISN'T Monday? Huh. Guess I've gotten my days mixed up ;-)**

 **Hopefully this will make up for my missed update Friday night. Love you all!**

* * *

 **What Have We Done?**

 **Chapter 26**

My sense of futility is strong enough to be palpable, and the frustration of not knowing how to fix this is making my filthy skin crawl. The thought of a shower is suddenly very appealing, but when I take in the state of the Swan residence, my personal hygiene drops another notch on the to-do list.

I check under the kitchen sink and am unsurprised to find the cleaning supplies there. I cannot remember the last time I cleaned a house where humans reside—assuming I ever did so in my former life—and the array of smells and stains makes me grateful that breathing is optional.

Though tempted to scrub this place from top to bottom, I have to base my activities on what Bella would do, especially after not having the wherewithal to do anything for the past few months.

So in her first attempt to bring order to the house, I don't think she would degrease the kitchen cabinets or rehang the cellar door. She wouldn't sweep the stairs or dust the crown molding in the living room. She wouldn't snake the bathroom sink or clean the shower ceiling.

But she would wash the dishes and sweep the kitchen floor. She would wipe down the table and counter and toss out old takeout from the refrigerator. She would dust the mantle's tchotchkes and vacuum the living room, clean the entire bathroom and launder all its linens.

Working at a human pace to refocus my excessive energy, it takes me until early afternoon to finish those chores. By this point, I am more than ready for my shower and determine to enjoy every moment of it.

The water pressure could be better, and I'm not a huge fan of fruit-scented soap. But the moment I step under the running water, I start to feel... inhuman again. I close my eyes, tilt my head back, and let it all fall away:

Edward's leaving and lies.

Bella's tears and turmoil.

The family's loneliness and limbo.

My anxiety and ambivalence.

It all flows down the drain like so many bubbles, and after two hours, three showers, and four rounds of shampoo, I emerge from the Swan bathroom feeling like a new woman. The clothes from Bella's mother are not only my size but my style as well, and I wonder at the odds of that. Even the ankle boots with their strappy detail and stiletto heel are perfect.

Not that I have anywhere to go anytime soon.

I settle in the living room, opting not to sit in Chief Swan's chair. The sun is nigh to setting, and sleeping Bella has yet to stir since this morning, and if not for my certainty that she desperately needs the rest, I would be worried. Her slumber has also been uneventful so far, free of screaming or thrashing, and a peaceful silence has enveloped the house.

Giving my thoughts the perfect environment in which to return with a startling vengeance.

A thousand scenarios play out in my mind—most ending with Edward taking a five-inch stiletto to the crotch—but none of them bring me the peace I expect. A select few involve me staying completely out of it and letting Bella and Edward come back together (or not) on their own. But the very idea of that makes me feel as if I am wasting an opportunity that will only come around once, a chance upon which the sanctity of our family wholly depends.

Yet I have no idea how to seize it without ruining the very lives I am trying to save.

I drag weary hands down my face and expel a heavy but quiet breath. I haven't been this disquieted in decades. The last time would have to be when Alice and Jasper found our little clan, and I resented the intrusion. Jasper wasn't that bad, and I even found his presence occasionally soothing, separate from the influence his gift might provide.

But his bride was an entirely different story. Besides her incessant chatter and optimism, her very presence grated on my nerves.

Esme needed only one daughter, thank you very much.

And when that demon of insecurity jumped on my back and tried to suffocate my sanity, there was only thing that calmed me down, only one means to the tranquil end I desperately needed.

And in 70 years, that soothing stream of serenity has never let me down.

I pull out my phone without a second thought, and the minute I hear his voice, my world begins to right itself once more.

"Emmett..." His name escapes me like a prayer. "Hey."

* * *

 **Aww, of course she calls Emmett! He always knows how to help his precious Rose.**

 **Thanks for reading—see you tomorrow! XO**


	27. Chapter 27

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything in the Twiverse. I'm just playing around in** _ **New Moon**_ **with Rosalie.**

 **Sorry for the delay, folks! But it's still Monday, right? ;)**

 **Let's check in with Rose and Emmett.**

* * *

 **What Have We Done?**

 **Chapter 27**

"Rosie, hey."

I close my eyes, drifting and drowning in those two simple words. Hearing Emmett's voice in this moment is just... it's everything. It is everything I feel, everything I want, and I fear I might combust from the sound of it.

"Emmett..."

"Rosie?"

"Emmett..." I swallow hard. "Oh, Emmett, Emmett, Emmett..."

"I'm here, baby." I can almost feel his warmth. "I'm right here."

And that's the kick of it.

Though physically miles away in Ithaca, Emmett _is_ here. He is right here with me in the midst of this mess... even though he has no idea where or what this mess is.

And when I think about that and the fact that I left him without a word eight days ago and he _still_ answers my call without hesitation or resentment, the dam shatters, and I find myself weeping.

"Rosie?" He is immediately alarmed. "What's wrong, baby?"

"Emmett, I... I am so sorry."

"For what?"

"For t-t-taking you f-f-f-or granted."

"Baby, what are you talking about?"

"I mean, I walked out without telling you where I was going or why and just trusted you to understand what I was doing, and that..." I lower my voice, remembering I"m not alone in the house. "That was so selfish of me and unfair to you and just... that is not the way a person is supposed to treat their mate!"

"Baby, stop." His command is somehow gentle. "You're... you're all over the place right now, and I need you to talk, okay? Just talk to me."

"You're right." I try to gather myself, expelling a heavy breath. "I'm sorry."

"You don't ever need to be sorry with me, Rose. That's not what I want, that's not who we are, and that's not how we love. So whatever brought this on, wherever all of this is coming from, it's not us, okay? It has nothing to do with us."

I clamp my mouth shut, another round of tears threatening.

"But since you brought it up," he adds after a moment. "I, uh... I will say this."

I brace myself, knowing I deserve whatever comes. "Yes?"

"Next time you wanna take off like that? Wake me up before you go go."

A loud snort of a laugh escapes through my nose, and I swipe my tearless face. "You and your 80's music."

"Hey, George Michael transcends time, baby. And so do we, yeah?"

"Yeah. Yeah, we really do." The turmoil in my soul simmers but only to a gentle boil. And I cannot pretend not to know the reason why. "Emmett?"

"Yeah?"

"I need... I need to tell you something."

"Is this about my taste in music? Because if so, I've got one word for you: polka."

I gasp. "You promised to forget I ever said that."

"Vampire brain, baby. I never forget anything."

"Yeah, well." I smile to myself but not for long. "This is not about music."

"Well, whatever it is, I'm all ears."

"Okay." I shake my head, jumping in headfirst. "I'm, uh... I'm in Forks."

The sudden silence is deafening. "You... you're where?"

"I'm in Forks. Well, actually, I'm... I'm with Bella. Here. In Forks."

"What do you..." His voice cracks, but he pushes through it. "What does that mean, Rosie?"

So I tell him what it means, just like I told Esme. The pace is different, and I leave no holes in the surrounding walls, but the content and chronology are the same.

Emmett says nothing as I share my tale, and I read nothing into his reticence.

But when I am finally finished, he does something Esme did not.

He cries.

My big beautiful bear of a man dissolves into tears, and the sound of his sorrow breaks what remains of my heart.

Will we ever overcome the results of what we have done?

* * *

 **That's the million dollar question, isn't it, Rose? *sigh***

 **Thanks for your patience today and for reading as always—see you Wednesday! XOXO**


	28. Chapter 28

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything in the Twiverse. I'm just playing around in** _ **New Moon**_ **with Rosalie.**

 **Sorry for the delay... again. Lately my days are far busier than I anticipate, and this is the first time I've really sat down since I woke up this morning.**

 **OH! And to the awesome guest reviewer who suggested I write a book, I actually have! It's a New Adult novel called** _ **Another 4.0 , **_**available on Amazon under my real name, Denise Leora Madre. It's the story of a college sophomore trying to balance boys and books and is loosely based on my own experiences as a student at Howard University. Whether you get the book or not, I am deeply flattered by your praise of my writing, so thank you, Guest!**

 **[And next time, leave your name so I can thank you personally! :) ]**

 **Anyway, let's check back in with our current favorite couple, one of whom reeeally needs a hug...**

* * *

 **What Have We Done?**

 **Chapter 28**

As Emmett's anguish floods the phone line, I do my best to comfort him, whispering honeyed reassurances into his ear. I know it's not enough, but it makes me feel useful.

An utterly useless need in the face of such profound pain.

"Oh, Bella..." I imagine him wiping his face as his human self would have done. "My little sister..."

His gentle sobbing continues, and I hug myself, wishing we could trade arms.

"God above, Rosie." He sounds so much like Carlisle it hurts my heart. "How did this happen?"

"I don't know, Emmie."

"What did we do to her? What did... what did _he_ do to her?"

I shake my head, not that he can see me. "This whole situation is just... it's beyond words."

"Yeah, it's..." He pauses, sniffling despite his tearlessness. "You know, don't you?"

"Know what?"

"What Edward did to her. Bella told you what happened, didn't she?"

"I, um..." I toe the freshly vacuumed carpet, nervous for some reason. "Yeah, she did."

"Wow, Rosie. That's... that's beautiful." His voice is all amber and awe. "You must have earned her trust."

"That's what she says."

I can almost see him frown. "What's wrong?"

"Emmett, did I... did I do this?"

"Do what?"

"Did I do this to Bella?" I swallow past the guilt threatening to cut off my words. "Is it my fault she's in this situation?"

"Rosie, only one person is to blame for what's happened to Bella, and that asshole's been in hiding for three months now."

"Yes, but... I mean, I know Edward is the one who left her, but what if she and I had been friends back then? What if Bella and I had been close enough for both of them—him and her—to see me as an ally? What if while he was contemplating this choice, I could have helped him see things in a different light because I was her friend and his sister as well?"

"Baby, Edward has a sister who not only was a friend to Bella but could literally show Edward the future, and he still chose to leave. So this is not your fault. Rosie, you... you are the only one of us who actually deserves Bella's friendship right now. I couldn't... I can't imagine ever facing her again after what I've done."

"What you've done? I'm the one who dismissed her as not worth my time, refused to help her when her life was on the line."

"You were scared, Rosie. We all understood that."

"Yes, I was scared of what the Volturi might do if they discovered that Bella knew the truth. But did that give me the right to demand her death? To dismiss her existence just because her nearness might have ruined our lives?"

"Ruined our lives?" His volume surprised me. "Babe, Alice said they would kill half our clan, enslave the other half, and do God knows what to Bella herself. That's a little worse than just ruining our lives."

"But it was more than fear, Emmett. I... I gave that girl hell every chance I got. A glare, a growl, anything to openly devalue her life while part of me still lamented the loss of mine." I shake my head. "With everything I've done, I can't believe Bella even talks to me."

"But that's my point. Bella knows better than anyone how your attitude made her feel, yet she's confiding in _you._ She could have asked you to call Esme or Alice or even Carlisle to trade places with you _._ But has she done that?"

"No."

"No." He lets the word linger between us. And if that's not a sign that she has forgiven you for the past, then I don't know what is."

"Even if you're right." I can't just get off that easily. "That only takes care of the past. I still have no idea what to do now, and I just... I cannot mess this up for her."

"I know, babe. I know." We sigh together. "Have you... have you talked to Alice?"

"I thought about it. I mean, she obviously knows enough to have told Esme to call me. But I don't think Bella would want Alice looking into her future. I just... I don't think she'd want that."

"Well, I know exactly what she'd want. And I would be honored to deliver it in the form of Edward getting the ass-kicking of his life."

I snort without humor. "That's the one thing you could do for Bella that she couldn't do for herself. Broken limbs for a broken heart seem like a fair trade to me."

"Then let me do this, Rosie." His voice drops to a menacing octave. "Let me hunt Edward down and beat shit down his leg until he begs me to stop. I promise not to kill him, but I will come close enough to make sure he hurts the way she's hurtin' right now."

The vengeful tingle returns to my fingertips, inspired by the seductive nature of Emmett's anger. I close my eyes, and a vision of Emmett taking his pound of frozen flesh for Bella dances deliciously behind my lids.

My man is magnificent, even in imaginary fury.

And as I smile in sadistic pleasure at the pain my husband aims to inflict upon my brother, another vision creeps into the foreground of my mind. A vision long ago lived but never quite forgotten.

And in the face of that vision and all that it represents, it becomes clear what Bella truly deserves, what she needs. And the more I think about what that is, the more I realize it is the only thing that could possibly fix what we have done...

... and the only thing I cannot actually do.

* * *

 **Gotta say I'm nervous about this one... and not just because I'm posting so late and left you with another cliffie, heh.**

 **I just... see, this was around the point in the story where these characters stopped doing what I thought they'd do and decided to tell this story on their own terms. It's exciting in the sense that it proves these characters are real and know what they want for themselves. But it's also a maddening type of terrifying because it made me realize just how little control over this story I have... if I ever had any.**

 **#WriterRantAboutWriterProblems**

 **Sorry.**

 **Anywaaaaay, thanks for reading. I'll see you Friday, ideally before sundown! XO**


	29. Chapter 29

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything in the Twiverse. I'm just playing around in** _ **New Moon**_ **with Rosalie.**

 **Lots of speculation about what Rose meant at the end of Ch28. Let's see who was right...**

* * *

 **What Have We Done?**

 **Chapter 29**

"I know Alice hasn't been looking for him," Emmett is saying. "But she must have a clue. Or maybe I can ask Jasper to come with me and..."

"Emmett..."

"Yeah, you're probably right. Emo Ed might be too much for Jasper to handle right now, especially with the rest of us being so..."

"Emmett."

"Yeah, babe?"

"I don't... I don't think you should do that."

He pauses. "So I shouldn't leave Jasper out?"

"Um, no. I mean..." I swallow hard. "I mean, you can't go after Edward."

"What?!"

I close my eyes. "You have to leave him alone."

I don't say any more, knowing Emmett will need a minute. His emotions, though far better controlled than mine, run just as deep. And after the whiplash he just experienced, it will take time for his equilibrium to return.

I hate that I am the reason why.

"You're..." He speaks slowly, and I feel his effort to stay calm. "You're telling me... that after everything you _just_ told me... I need to leave Edward alone?"

"Yes."

"Why? I mean, I can promise not to kick his ass or even yell at him... that much. But he needs to know what he's done, Rose! He needs to understand how he's hurt and practically destroyed Bella. He needs to know that so he can come back and make it right!"

"I know, Emmett."

"Well, if you know that." I am amazed that he is both angry and gentle with me. "Why won't you let me go to him?"

"Who proposed to whom?" I ask quietly.

I can almost see him blinking in confusion. "Who pro... what?"

"When all was said and done between us, Emmett, who proposed to whom?"

"Baby, what in the world does that have to do with… Oh. Oh, wow." He exhales long and low. "I get it now. She needs to be sure."

"She needs to be sure."

"And for her to be sure, then... damn, Rose. I never would have made that connection. Not in a million years."

"I almost missed it." I look out the window toward the tree where it all started. "But now that I see it..."

"You can't see anything else."

"Yeah."

We fall silent, lost in bittersweet memories. Though much time has passed, that day feels as fresh as ever.

"You know," Emmett says after a while. "I was with Edward when he found out Bella ditched Alice and Jasper to go after James. He was... man, 'pissed' ain't even the word. He was beside himself with rage and fear and just... everything. He was completely out of his head."

"Yeah. I barely even cared at the time but even I sensed that much."

"And that reaction was based on the fear that James _might_ kill her, not actually hearing his own family aching to attack her while she bled on his living room floor."

My mind falls silent. "What are you getting at?"

"That fear makes people do stupid things. Bella ran away from the Whitlocks because she feared James hurting her mother, feared that possibility more than she trusted her very real, very gifted protectors or even more than... more than she loved Edward, in that moment at least."

"And fear can make a person push away the very one they love most," I murmur, ancient remorse returning in full force. "Emmett, I'm so..."

"Rosalie Lillian Hale McCarty Cullen, I know you ain't about to apologize to me again."

"I just... I can't believe you let me do that."

"And I keep telling you that it's all right. Besides, you know I love it anytime you get down on your knees..."

A smile breaks through my suppressed sob. "You dirty old man."

"I'm absolutely filthy, baby. And don't you forget it."

I shake my head with an amused snort. "Well, ain't this a bitch."

"What?"

"Edward and I are more alike than different."

"Yeah. Probably why you two don't get along." His voice softens. "And exactly why you are the only person Bella needs right now."

"Never thought I'd see the day."

"It's a new day for all of us, Rosie. And I hope... no, I believe things will only get better from here."

"I love you, Emmett." My heart aches with how much. "I so wish you were here."

"I know, baby. And as soon as you make that call, I'm coming. But for right now, you and Baby Bella... you need each other. And just each other."

"Yeah. I guess you're right."

We end the call with loving words but without a goodbye. And despite the surrounding silence, I feel as if Emmett is still here, watching over me, comforting me.

Waiting for me, as he did so many years ago.

After losing his fight with that black bear in 1935, Emmett awakened to this life and fell in love with me on sight. No hesitation, no questions or concerns—just pure, unashamed, boundless love. And after surviving my own mortal death, that kind of love was everything I needed.

But nothing I could possibly accept.

How did I know Emmett didn't love me just because I was the first person he saw upon waking? How could I know for sure that he loved me for who I really was underneath this flawless façade and not just whatever idea of me he'd created in his head?

I didn't know, not right away.

So when he proposed, I told him "no" the first time.

And the second time.

And the sixth time.

Until finally—after getting a clue from Carlisle or Esme, I'm sure—Emmett caught on to why I kept refusing him. So one evening he promised not to propose to me anymore.

But before I could panic and think I'd pushed him away for good, he told me to propose when I was sure of him, of myself, and of our love. And whenever I did that, no matter how long it took, he would happily accept.

That night, I went into the woods alone and wept 'til dawn, overwhelmed with how much he loved me. His suggestion was just the sign I needed, actual proof that he was truly mine and could love and accept the real me.

So I proposed to him...

... ten years later.

As crazy as it sounds, I needed an entire decade to debate, to doubt, and to finally dare to trust that Emmett loved me just because he loved me, that it was truly as simple and impossible as that.

And if Bella and Edward are going to make it as a couple, then she needs to know Edward loves her enough to stick around despite his fear, her mortality, and everything else that might come against them. And he needs to prove to Bella that by coming back to her.

But if Edward comes back only because Emmett kicked his ass or I cussed him out and made him feel guilty, he won't prove anything to Bella or himself except that nothing has changed. He has to come back because he loves her, because he can't live without her and no longer wishes to try.

And he has to figure all of that out on his own, without interference or influence from anyone else.

So the only thing I can do to undo what has been done... is nothing at all.

As the weight of that truth crashes over me, my phone buzzes in my pocket. Somehow expecting Alice, I am pleasantly surprised to find it's a text from my Emmett.

" _I know this is hard, babe. But it's the right thing to do. You just take care of Bella, and his love for her will bring Edward home."_

Upstairs, Bella moans Edward's name, her sleepy sigh laden with longing.

" _I hope you're right, Em."_ I text him back. _"I really hope you're right."_

* * *

 **Well?**

 **Thanks for reading—see you Sunday! XOXO**


	30. Chapter 30

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything in the Twiverse. I'm just playing around in** _ **New Moon**_ **with Rosalie.**

 **Happy Sunday! Special thanks to Kim at "Who's Who in the Fandom?" on Facebook for her beautiful rec of this story—you are a gem! And welcome to all the new readers, especially those who have a strict "No WIP" policy. I appreciate your trust!**

 **(But you don't have to worry. This story is completely prewritten.)**

 **Let's continue...**

* * *

 **What Have We Done?**

 **Chapter 30**

Bella sleeps for thirteen hours and wakes up for a brief human moment just after twilight. She mutters a groggy "Good night, Rose" on her way back to bed, and I am gratified by her certainty that I am still here.

She falls asleep once more, leaving me to self-entertain with the various offerings of late-night cable TV. I manage to find a station showing classic movies, and I send a text to Emmett, asking him to turn to the same channel. And for the next several hours, we take a cinematic trip down memory lane, connected only by the wonders of technology.

I suppose I could have called him instead—heard his booming laughter during his favorite scene in _What's Up, Doc?_ or his passionate recitation of Spencer Tracy's monologue at the end of _Guess Who's Coming to Dinner._

But the idea of laughing and loving with my mate under Bella's roof while she idles upstairs waiting for her mate to come to his senses... I just couldn't bear it. And to his credit, Emmett feels the same way. He never says as much, but I could tell.

Because that's just the kind of man he is.

So when Bella begins to stir a few hours after sunrise, Emmett bids me a fond farewell through the phone, complete with smiles and hearts made out of punctuation. I tuck my phone in my pocket and turn the channel just in case. I have no idea what Bella and Edward used to do together, and the last thing I want is for some seemingly innocuous movie to trigger a flashback of some kind. An excessive step, maybe, but now that I know I cannot do what I want, I must take care to do whatever I can. Finding a harmless infomercial, I set down the remote, fold my hands in my lap, and wait.

I expect Bella to call out in panic when she wakes up or to at least try to verify that I'm still here. Instead I hear her make the bed before visiting the bathroom. And after brushing her teeth and hair, she descends the stairs with a soft smile. "Hey."

"Hey, yourself." I turn away from the television, now showing an infomercial for a high-falutin' blender. "How did you sleep?"

"Like the dead." Her eyes widen slightly. "No offense."

"None taken."

She gives me a brief once over. "I'm glad the clothes fit."

"I'm glad you offered them. I feel like a new woman."

She only blushes in response, coming to sit in Charlie's recliner. "So what else have you been doing all this time?"

"Mostly this." I gesture toward the television. "The sheer variety of options is dizzying, but this seems interesting enough."

"Oh my gosh." Bella shakes her head with a chuckle. "We have one of those!"

"A Magic Bullet?"

"Yeah. I was trying to get Charlie to eat healthier and thought this would be an easy way to do it."

"Does it work like they say?"

"Basically. Though he stuffed it under the sink after I slipped some spinach in his breakfast shake."

"Smart man." Bella's stomach growls loudly, and I raise a brow. "Looks like someone's in the mood for a spinach smoothie."

"I don't know about all that. But I would like something to eat."

I blur into the kitchen, setting the Magic Bullet on the counter, and grin at Bella when she enters. "Pass me that frozen spinach."

She blinks, likely at my speed, then looks around. "Did you... did you clean in here?"

"Just trying to earn my keep."

"I knew the bathroom looked different! You cleaned up there too."

"But I'm a vampire, remember?" I rummage through the box, inspecting the parts of the blending machine. "Took me all of 15 minutes."

"You're amazing. Thank you," she murmurs, and though she knows I can hear her, I pretend not to. After everything Bella has suffered at the hands of my family, her gratitude is still difficult to accept.

And it will be until she has the one thing she wants and needs most.

"So what are we putting in this thing?" I open the box. "There's some fruit in the freezer that has seen better days, but orange juice should obscure any weirdness in the taste."

Bella pulls out the juice and the bag of frostbitten mixed berries.

"No spinach?"

She smirks. "Only if you have one too."

"Fruit only it is."

Since I'm the one with superhuman speed, it makes sense for me to be at the Bullet's control. We do a practice run with warm water and soap, and the machine makes such a racket, Bella jumps.

"I guess not using this in a year took its toll, huh?"

"Yeah." I dump the water and rinse out the container. "But it still seems to work, so you better cover your ears."

The Magic Bullet claims to make smoothies in about 10 seconds, and that much is still true and is usually a good thing.

But during the 10 seconds when Bella and I are distracted by the wonders of the Magic Bullet, we apparently miss the sounds of a car pulling up and its driver's door closing.

So I can only assume both of those things have already happened when I turn off the Magic Bullet and hear the front door slam.

Bella gapes at me, I blink at her, and we turn around together and find Charlie Swan staring at us both.

* * *

 **See, what had happened was...**

 **Thanks for reading—see you Tuesday! XOXO**


	31. Chapter 31

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything in the Twiverse. I'm just playing around in** _ **New Moon**_ **with Rosalie.**

 **Not having the happiest Tuesday right now, but it's so nice to be with you again.**

 **Then again, I'm sure I'm having a better day than Rosalie right now...**

* * *

 **What Have We Done?**

 **Chapter 31**

Since my arrival in Forks, I have experienced an assortment of impossible firsts.

The first time I spent quality time in a tree.

The first time I had a pleasant conversation... or several... with Bella Swan.

The first time I got in a fist fight with a mountain.

And now, standing in the Swan kitchen, I can add another one to the list:

The first time a human snuck up on me.

I don't know how this happened.

I honestly don't.

I mean, I can't really say I didn't hear him coming because that too would be impossible.

My audial senses are flawless.

But I suddenly remember Edward complaining to Emmett once about how easy it was to forsake the human façade around Bella.

To "slip up," as he put it.

At the time, Emmett just assumed Edward was off his game because for the first time in his immortal life he couldn't read someone's mind, and without that advantage, it was difficult for the telepath to behave normally.

At the time, that explanation made perfect sense.

But as I stand here in Bella's kitchen, caught because I didn't hear her father coming, I realize the issue has nothing to do with Edward's gifts and everything to do with Bella's presence. Her ease around vampires makes us forget what we are and how we're supposed to behave. And when that happens, we say things we're not supposed to say, do things we're not allowed to do.

Miss things we're not supposed to miss.

None of this is helpful now, of course, not with Charlie Swan's bewildered gaze ping-ponging back and forth between his daughter and me. Though I should be figuring out how the hell to explain myself, I cannot help but wonder which occurrence is more startling to him:

Finding me here or finding Bella clean, dressed, and making breakfast.

The Chief suddenly turns sharply toward me, and I consider the matter settled.

 _Here we go._

"What's going on here?" he asks in a quiet, firm voice.

The question is directed verbally to Bella, but his laser-like gaze is focused on my forehead. And as Bella has yet to move or speak, I clear my throat and step forward.

"Hello, Chief Swan." I extend a hand. "I am Rosalie Hale."

"I know who you are." He ignores my hand. "And I know who you're with, who your 'people' are." He practically spits the word. "So I will ask you again: what is going on here?"

I drop my hand to my side. "I... well, I came to see Bella."

He crosses his arms. "Why?"

I clasp my fingers together, a rational reason slow in coming. "I just wanted to say 'hi.' "

"Really?" He glances at Bella, but she's looking at the floor. "You and your family suddenly pulled up stakes months ago without a word or postcard to my daughter, and now, out of the blue, you just popped up because you wanted to say 'hi'? You really think I'm that stupid?"

I fight not to look away. "I don't think you're stupid at all."

"Good. Then try that again, this time with the truth."

It is clear why Charlie has been the unopposed chief in this town for so long. The man is absolutely relentless when he wants the truth. And with Bella only staring at me with panicked eyes, it is up to me to give him a truth he can handle.

"Okay. The truth is my boyfriend and I recently separated, and I... well, I thought Bella was one of the few people in my life who wouldn't rub it in my face."

"Why?"

"Why?"

"Yes, why?" He takes a step forward, and some instinct causes me to step back. "Bella never mentioned your name once when your family lived here, gave no indication that you were acquaintances, let alone friends. So why would you think of her at all?"

"Because of what happened between her and my brother."

The words come out harsher than I intend, and Charlie's eyes narrow. "Which was?"

"Dad…" Bella finally finds her voice. "Please don't... don't be like this."

"It's okay," I say. "He has every right to be angry."

"But not with you, Rose." She wraps her arms around her waist. "Anyone but you."

Charlie's outrage melts into incredulity, his tone soft as he turns to his daughter. "How can you say that?"

"Because she's here, Dad. She didn't have to come here, but she did, and that's..." She shakes her head slightly. "That means something to me."

Charlie exhales a long, low breath, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "I'm not trying to insult her, Bells. I just... I cannot watch you get hurt by them again."

"I'm not here to hurt her," I say, causing them both to look at me. "I wouldn't... that's not who I am. I just... I just wanted to see how she was doing."

"And that..." Charlie clenches his teeth. "That boy didn't send you?"

"No, sir."

"And he isn't coming back?"

"I don't... I don't know." And both of us notice when Bella winces. "I don't know where he is or what he's doing, to be honest."

"Well, I can tell you one thing that he will not be doing!" Charlie holds Bella tighter, his free hand pointing a harsh finger at his front door. "He will not... under any circumstances... _ever_ set foot in this house again! And if he knows what's good for him, he will stay away from Bella and stay the hell out of Forks for the rest of his worthless, miserable..."

"That is not your decision to make!"

The room comes to an absolute standstill, and I gape at Bella, stunned—and a not a little proud—that she would say something like that in front of her father.

Let alone shout it.

But when Charlie releases Bella and steps toward me with his eyes blazing, I quickly realize Bella didn't say that.

And as Charlie's hand idly brushes the gun on his hip, I begin to wish I hadn't said that.

 _Is it too late for me to go back to my tree?_

* * *

 **Oh, Rose... You were so close!**

 **Thanks for reading and for all the reviews. I know I haven't always responded to them, but I am going to get better with that. I promise.**

 **See you Thursday! XO**


	32. Chapter 32

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything in the Twiverse. I'm just playing around in** _ **New Moon**_ **with Rosalie.**

 **Why two updates in one day? Because I love y'all that much. Seriously. SO. MUCH.**

 **I also wanted to address something from the end of the last chapter that I should have put more thought into, especially given the state of things in the United States of late: Charlie would never actually try to shoot Rose. That moment was really just designed to be a funny way of showing just how deeply Rose "stepped in it." We know bullets could never hurt her, but someone wisely pointed out that Charlie doesn't know that, and because he doesn't know that, having his hand brush against his gun was in poor taste. So I apologize for that.**

 **Okay, onward.**

* * *

 **What Have We Done?**

 **Chapter 32**

"What did you say?" Charlie asks, the hand near his gun actually coming to rest on his hip.

Bella reaches for his arm. "Dad, she didn't mean that."

"Yes, I did." I keep my voice even. "I apologize for shouting, but I meant exactly what I said."

"I see." Charlie nods slowly. "And what exactly did you mean?"

"I meant that Bella is a legal adult, and it is up to her what she does and who she sees."

Charlie laughs, dragging a hand down his face. "You people are unbelievable. You roll out of town without a word, stomping my baby's heart into millions of pieces as you go. Then you have the audacity to stand here and declare that that... degenerate you call a brother _may_ decide to come back to inflict more pain on my daughter, and if he does, it will be his choice to do so?"

I fold my arms. "And hers."

"And why would I let her make such a choice after what he did to her?"

"Because no man should ever take a woman's choice from her." I hold his gaze. "No matter the reason."

Charlie's eyes widen, and I can actually hear the rustle of fabric as Bella rubs her arms. The wall clock in the hall marks the time of our standoff, and I pray Chief Swan doesn't do anything rash. Bella would never forgive me for hurting her father, even if my aim was to protect her, and I… well, I didn't come here to assault a police officer.

So I blink first.

"I apologize if I seem disrespectful." I look down, studying a small spot of smoothie splatter on the floor. "I just… I know what it's like when a well-meaning man makes a choice for my benefit, leaving me with a life I didn't necessarily want. And I... " I glance at his daughter, softening my gaze. "I don't think Bella deserves that."

Chief Swan relaxes his jaw. Very little. "But your brother…"

"Is young and rash and usually acts before he thinks."

"Are you defending him?"

"I don't defend inexcusable behavior. But I love my brother, and... loving him means I have to accept him, even when I want to kick his ass, excuse my language. And even when he drives me crazy or does things I don't understand, I could not sooner turn my back on him than…"

"Right." Charlie's gaze drifts toward Bella who looks as if she might bolt from the room any second. "Right."

"As I said, I didn't mean to cause any problems by coming here. I just… I needed a friend and thought Bella might be able to use one too."

Charlie strokes his chin, and Bella finds her voice.

"Dad, please don't make her leave. I…" She looks at him with glistening eyes. "I need her."

Charlie sighs, and once again I hear the pain our departure caused him. He too is wounded, and the truth of his anguish cuts me to the core. Having me here... a visible reminder of the one who broke his daughter...

The effrontery of it cannot be overstated.

But if he tries to throw me out, I will not go.

No matter what we have done, I will not abandon his daughter twice.

* * *

 **This chapter is shorter than more recent ones have been, but I wanted to share it with you tonight. Thanks for being so awesome!**

 **And I'll still see you Thursday! XO**


	33. Chapter 33

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything in the Twiverse. I'm just playing around in** _ **New Moon**_ **with Rosalie.**

 **Can I just say something? So many of you have been crying your way through this story, and I am so deeply moved by the emotions you've invested in my Rose and Bella! Moved and pleasantly surprised. I feel like I owe you all a case of tissues and a hug! :)**

 **I've gotten a lot of questions from new readers about if/when Edward would appear and if there would be an HEA. I don't really do spoilers because not everyone wants them, buuuuut... I don't think we could really have a proper New Moon fic without Edward. And if Edward does make an appearance, I tend to think he'd only do so to make things right. I mean, it's not like he could make them worse, right?**

 **Just some food for thought, hehehe.**

 **Meanwhile, let's find out what Charlie's gonna say to Rose...**

* * *

 **What Have We Done?**

 **Chapter 33**

Charlie shuts his eyes, and I can feel his effort to remain calm. I have had my say—said more than I intended at times—and now I must wait for his reaction.

I can only hope he doesn't do anything either of us will regret.

"I'm not..." Charlie clears his throat, looking at his daughter. "I'm not going to make her leave, Bells."

"Oh, Daddy..." Bella wraps her arms around Charlie's waist, her sigh of relief barely masking mine. "Thank you."

He rests his head atop hers, and the sight makes me miss Carlisle for the first time in my entire existence. I've watched him enjoy similar intimacy with every other woman in the house—hell, with my mate, my brothers, and Bella herself on more than one occasion—but I always denied myself the privilege. Witnessing the unique comfort a father's loving hug can bestow, I wish I hadn't been so guarded in the past.

And I vow to be less so in the future.

"And Miss Hale." Charlie's voice is gruff with emotion. "Please forgive me for my rudeness. Seeing you here... it just reminded me of…"

"I understand." I offer a smile. "And given those circumstances, I probably should have called to see if a visit would be okay."

"If Bella's fine with it, I have no objections. In fact…" He tucks her further into his side. "I think I'm glad you're here."

His words make me blink, their sincerity even more so. "That... that means a lot coming from you, sir."

Bella seems to relax for the first time since her father's arrival, and with a pat to his back, she returns to the kitchen counter. "So what brings you back, Dad? I thought you and Billy were taking the whole weekend."

"We were. But he had a wicked flare up and was too proud to admit it. So I invented a work emergency and cut our trip short. I was on my way to the station when I remembered Frank wanted to borrow my fly fishing guide before his vacation starts tomorrow."

"Fly fishing in December?" I rub my arms. "Sounds frosty."

"That's one way of putting it." Charlie glances around the room, his expression brightening. "You cleaned in here? Bella, thank you."

Bella glances at me. "Well, actually..."

"Didn't she do a great job?" I beam at her. "She cleaned while I blahblahblahed all about Emmett. And this smoothie is her reward."

Charlie's face falls. "Is there spinach in there?"

I wiggle my eyebrows. "What do you think?"

"Huh. On second thought, maybe I will throw you out."

The three of us share a light laugh, and I marvel at yet another impossible first in Forks: yucking it up with Charlie Swan in the kitchen over smoothies.

"So what are you girls up to today?" Charlie asks.

Bella blinks. "Huh?"

"Well, you're not going to just sit around here, are you?" Charlie grabs an apple from the bowl in the center of the kitchen table. "It's fine with me if you do, but it doesn't sound like much fun."

"Actually," I say. "We were thinking of getting a Christmas tree."

"You were?" Charlie turns to Bella who manages to hide her surprise. "Didn't expect that."

"I mean, is that okay?" Bella asks.

"Is that okay?" Charlie cups Bella's face. "Baby, it's perfect."

I turn toward the sink with stinging eyes and clench my fists at my side. These damn Swans are going to be the emotional death of me.

"Okay, then." Charlie steps back and claps his hands. "I'm going to grab this manual and get out of your hair. Oh, and I gotta check the chains on your tires. Roads might be slick later."

"I can do it!" I could use the distraction. "Will only take a second."

Charlie raises a bushy eyebrow, and Bella nods. "Rosalie is a whiz with cars."

"Really?" Charlie's mustache twitches. "You don't look like the type who messes around with cars."

"There's a lot about me you wouldn't see for looking," I say without rancor. "But you're right about one thing—I'm not the type to mess around, not with what matters."

"Oh, I don't doubt it." He looks between his daughter and me. "I don't doubt that for a minute."

* * *

 **Thanks for reading-see you Saturday! XOXO**


	34. Chapter 34

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything in the Twiverse. I'm just playing around in** ** _New Moon_** **with Rosalie.**

 **Happy Saturday! Let's head back to the kitchen with Charlie, Rose, and Bella.**

* * *

 **What Have We Done?**

 **Chapter 34**

Charlie declines my offer to put the chains on Bella's truck. Though not doubting my skills, he refuses to let a lady perform manual labor in his presence. I respect his desire to be chivalrous and don't press the issue.

Especially now that we're on amicable terms.

After another hug for Bella and a hearty wave for me, the Chief closes the front door behind him. It isn't until his tires screech as he pulls out the driveway—which both Bella and I hear this time—that Bella flops into the nearest kitchen chair. "Oh my god."

"You can say that again."

"I can't believe he snuck up on us like that." She glances at me in open curiosity. "You didn't hear him coming?"

I shake my head. "I'm sorry. That could have been really bad, and it would have been all my fault."

"No, if it had gone bad, it would have been his fault." Her conviction is surprising. "Charlie's never even met you, so he had no reason to be so rude. I'm a legal adult, like you said, and I have the right to have visitors in my home if I want to."

Her words touch me, but I cannot ignore the obvious. "Even if that visitor resembles..."

"Even then." She looks away, her cheeks coloring. "Besides, I always thought you looked more like Jasper than... than him."

"It's the hair." I toss mine for effect, trying to keep the mood light. "Hey, you wanna know why he's 'Jasper Hale' and I'm not 'Rosalie Whitlock'?"

Bella's eyes brighten. "Why?"

"Because I was a Cullen first." I flop in the chair across from Bella, earning a grin of delight. "Even though Jasper was born first and changed first, I was in the family first. So whenever we pretend to be twins, he has to use my last name."

"I never would have guessed that." Bella chuckles. "But what about when you change towns and have to use different names?"

I blink at her. "You... you know about that?"

She shrugs. "I know about a lot of things that no longer matter."

And just like that, the mood tanks, and I feel like an absolute idiot for mentioning Jasper and the way our family works.

How could I have forgotten that all Cullen-themed roads lead to the dead end of her relationship with Edward?

"And now that Charlie's gone," Bella continues sadly. "We don't have to go through with it."

"With what?"

"You told Charlie we were going to get a Christmas tree."

"And you seemed okay with the idea."

She shrugs again, getting smaller with each gesture. "I was just pretending, trying not to make it look like you were lying."

"Okay. But what if I wasn't? Lying, I mean?"

Bella raises an unkempt brow. "You want to get a Christmas tree? For my house?"

"Why not? It's not like we have anything better to do. Besides, Charlie seemed more than okay about it. He seemed excited even."

"Yeah, he was. Haven't seen him that happy about anything in... well, it's been a while."

"So let's do it!" I come to my feet, grateful for the distraction. "I'll put your smoothie in a to-go cup, and you go put on some warm clothes."

"Can I have two granola bars too?"

"Sure."

"Thanks." Bella heads out of the kitchen, pausing at the threshold. "Hey, Rose?"

"Yeah?"

"Did you, um... did you mean that other thing you said to Charlie?"

"About separating from Emmett? Nah, I was just talking about when I came here and didn't..."

"No, not... not that thing."

Her voice breaks, and I'm instantly wary. "Then which thing?"

She bites her lip, looking away. "The thing about not knowing where he is or what... what he's doing."

Crap.

I totally forgot I said that and feel foolish (yet again) for not realizing that _of course_ she would remember it. I'd only done so for the chief's benefit, to prove I wasn't on some misguided errand for Edward. And even though I'm sure Charlie was glad to hear the news, I can only imagine how Bella feels knowing it.

Especially as she has taken such care not to even ask about it.

"Um, yeah." I focus on her smoothie, awash in guilt. "That's, uh... that is completely true."

"Oh. Okay." She throws a fake smile my way. "I'll just... go get dressed then."

"Okay."

My equally fake smile fades as she trudges up the stairs. Any positive remnants from the Chief's unexpected arrival have completely dissipated, and it takes all I have not to scream in frustration with myself.

 _Am I ever going to get this right?_

* * *

 ***sigh* It's two steps forward, three steps back with these two...**

 **Enjoy the rest of your weekend—see you Monday! XOXO**


	35. Chapter 35

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything in the Twiverse. I'm just playing around in** _ **New Moon**_ **with Rosalie.**

 **Happy Monday! It has been soooo cool spending some of the weekend chatting with some of you about WHWD and some of my older stories. I truly have the best readers in the world, and I cherish all of your thoughts and curiosity about this story... especially those who express themselves with respect and kindness. THANK YOU.**

 **For those who are enjoying this peek at my canon Rosalie, in my closing A/N, I'll share a rec from my archives that you might also enjoy.**

 **In the meantime, let's get a Christmas tree!**

* * *

 **What Have We Done?**

 **Chapter 35**

For the second time since being in Forks, I am grateful to be immortal.

Otherwise, there is no way I could ride in this deathtrap of a truck without fearing for my life.

"When is the last time you had this thing serviced?" I ask as we pull onto the main road.

"Ummm… right after Halloween, I think. Could have been before then. Those days kind of blend together."

She trails off, once again reminding me that every conversation is one word from an emotional minefield. Even with everything I know about that day in the forest, there's still so much I don't know about their past.

And there's no way I can ask.

My phone buzzes in my pocket, and I notice the hitch in Bella's breathing as the sound cuts through the silence. She tries to keep her focus on the road, but her gaze keeps darting to the passenger side of the car as I read the message.

And promptly swear under my breath.

"What?" Bella's gloved hands grip the wheel more tightly. "What's wrong?"

I tuck the phone away. "It's nothing."

"Don't lie to me, Rose." Her voice shakes toward the end. "I couldn't take that. Not from you."

"No, I mean, it's..." I hate myself for having alarmed her. "It has nothing to do with my life here and now. It's... it's something from my past."

"I don't understand."

"The message was from our family lawyer, Jenks. It seems that the home of my childhood, of my entire human life, is in trouble. See, the house has changed hands many, many times over the years, and Jenks has been helping... has been monitoring the situation since he started working for our family. The current tenants must have fallen behind in their rent."

"That's too bad."

I look out the window, glaring at the passing trees. "It certainly is."

My change is mood is sharp and drastic, and it takes all I have not to scream my head off. The house itself isn't the point—we could easily have Jenks cover the tenants' debt and that would be that.

No, the point is that this should not have happened. And it would not have happened had someone not disappeared off the face of the earth.

"We don't have to do this."

Bella's voice snaps me out of my thoughts, and I slowly toward her. "I'm sorry?"

"You're obviously upset about your family's house, and I get that." She swallows hard. "It hurts to feel like you're about to lose something you love."

"Bella..."

"So let's just turn around. I don't want to force you to do anything you don't want to do. I've had enough of that for one relationship with a vampire."

I shut my eyes, cursing Edward in my mind. For all my concern about hurting Bella with what I might say or not say, _he_ is the one who broke her to the point where she can hardly talk to anyone without the threat of tears.

Yet he's not here to deal with the fallout.

"Bella, listen." We're stopped at a red light, and she turns to me. "I'm not doing anything I don't want to do here, all right? The text from Jenks threw me for a loop, but that has nothing to do with you or our trip to the tree lot. And anyway, I think this could be good for you."

She laughs without humor. "You do?"

"Sometimes things happen. Terrible, unspeakable, grossly unfair things. And no matter how badly they hurt, we can't escape the pain. But sometimes a change of routine or scenery can..."

"A change of scenery? A change of scenery?! You think trading my bedroom for a Christmas tree lot is going to make me forget what Edward did to me?"

"I was only suggesting that it might help to focus on something you can change instead of the things you can't change."

"Sure! Brilliant idea, Rose." She puts the car in gear, speeding across the intersection as soon as the light turns green. "I'll just get a Christmas tree and everything will be fine!"

"That's not what I..."

"And what the hell would you know? You're the most beautiful woman in the world, supernatural or otherwise, and get to spend the rest of your perfect, fabulous life with the great love of your perfect, fabulous life whom you sometimes treat like an accessory to that perfect, fabulous life. What the hell would you know about being run over like roadkill and left for dead by the very man who claimed to love you more than his own perfect, fabulous life?!"

Bella's outburst slams my mouth shut, and a moment passes before I can get my thoughts together. Although she told me what Edward said in the forest, this is the first mention of her feelings on the subject, and that is a major step forward. Her dig about my life with Emmett also shows a measure of backbone I didn't know she had, and part of me is proud to see it.

Even if her ire is misplaced.

I also know she doesn't know my story, that Edward would never disclose something so personal about someone else, even to his precious Bella. And I remind myself of that so her words don't wound me the way they could.

And based on those words, my next words to her would be very, very different if we weren't friends the way we are now.

"You might be surprised by what I know, Bella."

She snorts. "Try me."

I close my eyes and debate the matter. On the one hand, there is no real reason to burden her with my story. She has enough of her own pain to deal with, and I don't want to add my past to the pile.

But on the other hand, hearing my story might help her understand that she's not alone, that her life doesn't have to stop where Edward left it. And as Esme often says, in difficult times, sometimes the only way out is through.

So I take a deep breath, folding my hands in my lap.

"His name was Royce King, and I was in love with him…"

* * *

 **I guess this had to happen sooner or later. Man, I hope it helps!**

 **Okay, so... WHWD is based on the prompt "Covert" from the Twilight 25, Round 9 in my collection "Blonde Ambition." Some of these stories are AH and have nothing to do with canon. But if you like this Rosalie, I invite you to check out "Blonde Ambition" on my profile and read the entries for "Shattered," "Crush," "Forgotten," and "Ancient." Feel free to read them all, LOL, but these entries are canonesque and give other (possible) insights into her personality and background, particularly regarding her antagonistic history with Edward in some cases.**

 **Anyhoo, just wanted to pass those recs along. See you Wednesday! XOXO**


	36. Chapter 36

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything in the Twiverse. I'm just playing around in** _ **New Moon**_ **with Rosalie.**

 **There is soooo much concern that Edward will not be able to fix this... and with good reason. I mean, look at the mess he's made!**

 **But let me confirm again that Edward WILL fix this, and he and Bella WILL get their HEA.**

 **Just... trust me :)**

 **In the meantime, let's join Rose's conversation with Bella, already in progress...**

* * *

 **What Have We Done?**

 **Chapter 36**

"Things got better when I found Emmett." I smile, relieved to reach this part of my story. "His love and patience stitched my heart back together and encouraged me to let Esme in. Once I was able to tell her my story, she helped me heal as only a mother could, never judging, never rushing me."

Bella nods, watching the yuletide tree hunters pass in front of her truck. We are sitting in the parking lot while I finish my tale. Her face is damp from the silent tears she shed, but I say nothing of them.

By this point in our relationship, tears are a second language.

"And Carlisle?" Bella asks after a moment.

"I know he meant well, and most of the time, I can regard him without anger." Especially after seeing you with Charlie. "But other times…"

"Part of you wishes you had died on that street."

"Not because I didn't want to live without Royce." She must understand this. "But because I couldn't bear the thought of never becoming a mother, of never growing old gracefully. Humans strive for ageless beauty, and sometimes I would kill for a wrinkle or gray hair."

"So is that... I mean, is that why you dislike me so much? Because you think I'm wasting my chance to be human?"

"Disliked," I clarify. "And yes."

"Wow." She wipes her damp cheeks. "I had no idea."

"How could you?" I smooth back my hair. "It's not the kind of thing that comes up during pillow talk."

"Right." Bella looks down, nibbling her bottom lip. "Could I... could I ask you something then?"

"Sure."

She doesn't speak right away, and after what I've just told her, my mind cramps in anticipation of what she could possibly want to know that would warrant such hesitation.

"Bella?"

"What about Edward?"

"What?" I ask too loudly, causing her to jump.

"Never mind," she mumbles. "Forget it."

"No, I'm... I'm sorry." How easily this girl makes me forget myself! "It's just... that was about the last question I expected you to ask. And I don't actually know what you mean by it."

"Forget it," she says again. "It doesn't matter now anyway, and not just because you're with Emmett."

"It _does_ matter if you want to know." My gentle tone causes her to glance at me. "So please don't let my earlier surprise deter you. If there's something you want to know about me, Bella, ask. And I will answer truthfully."

Again she is silent, but something tells me she's just gathering courage. So I look out the passenger side window, waiting her out.

"Edward..." She clears her throat, as if saying his name twice in one minute has proven too painful. "He told me that Carlisle had intended you two to be... like him and Esme."

"Yes," I say without inflection. "That is true."

"He also said you were never more than a sister."

"Also true."

"Then why did you seem to hate him so much? Before now, I mean?"

The bottom falls out of my stomach. "What?"

"Like I said, it doesn't really matter now, but I just... well, even in your story, you don't mention Edward at all, not even in the years before you met Emmett. You both say you were never more than siblings, yet it was obvious that you couldn't stand Edward... and not just because he pretended to love a clumsy human who could ruin your life." She is winded now and takes a steadying breath. "So I was just... wondering why."

I blink slowly in the wake of her words, completely stuck on stupid.

There is no way I could possibly express how I feel right now.

And even if I could, I am too stunned to do so.

But the longer I remain silent, the faster her heart beats.

So I shake off my nerves and start talking.

"You're not the first person to ask me this, you know." I figure it's as good a place to start as any. "But you are the first outside of Emmett to receive an answer. So that's something you have in common."

I sound like I'm stalling, so I close my eyes and press on.

"Okay. I hated Edward because... because he didn't want me."

She seems to deflate. "Oh."

"But not the way you think."

"No?"

"See... before formally introducing us, Carlisle took his time pointing out every single thing Edward and I had in common—a love of music and an interest in automobiles. We each valued our privacy, preferred reading to conversation, and despite the fact that we attracted attention wherever we went, neither of us particularly enjoyed the spotlight. In short, Edward Masen, as he was then known, was my mirror image in male form. And as I prepared to meet him for the first time as an immortal, I began to believe I might actually find love in this wretched life I hadn't asked for.

"But Edward didn't want me. Not romantically or in any other respect. He felt I was too public a figure in Rochester for Carlisle to have taken the risk of changing me and wanted me gone from the house and away from his family before I brought ruin to them all." I snort. "Sound familiar?"

Bella chuckles dryly. "A little."

"After being raped by my fiancé and losing the chance to become a mother, now I was doomed to spend an earthly eternity in a family where the one person who should have been perfect for me didn't want me around, let alone as his beloved? It was a rejection I had no room to understand or accept."

I feel my eyes darken, and I summon an image of Emmett to calm down. "Even before I found Emmett, though, Edward's attitude had mellowed. Once Carlisle told him how I died, Edward accepted me into the family and even did his part to make me comfortable there. Some part of me knew I should have just let him off the hook back then but... let's just say forgiveness was never my strong suit, even as a human. I guess that's why I still have trouble with Carlisle sometimes."

"Because he's the one who got your hopes up in the first place."

"Exactly." I glance her way. "Anyway, does... does that answer your question?"

"Yes." She offers a half-smile. "Thanks."

A contemplative silence fills the cabin, and neither of us speaks for a full minute. I wonder if there's anything more I need to clarify, anything else I can share from that time in my life that might...

My train of thought is suddenly derailed by the feel of Bella's gloved hand resting atop mine. I cannot bring myself to look at her, but she saves me the trouble by speaking.

"I am so sorry for what happened to you, Rose. No one... no one should ever have to endure something so horrible, let alone have to carry the memory for all eternity. But..."

In the ensuing silence, I look over at her. "But what?"

"I'm really glad Carlisle saved you."

Her sincerity makes my golden eyes sting, and I squeeze her hand gently. "Me too."

* * *

 **Thanks for reading—see you Friday! XO**


	37. Chapter 37

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything in the Twiverse. I'm just playing around in** _ **New Moon**_ **with Rosalie.**

 **Why an update on Thursday? Because I was working on another project, got cranky, and needed to do something to cheer me up. So thank you for always being so lovely in your reviews. Your thoughts truly make my day.**

* * *

 **What Have We Done?**

 **Chapter 37**

Bella pulls her hand away, but neither of us makes a move to exit the car. The silence between us is contemplative but congenial, and I too am content to enjoy it.

"How did it feel?" she eventually asks.

"How did what feel?"

"Getting your revenge on your fiancé and his friends." She isn't looking at me, focusing instead on the hands now clasped in her own lap. "How did it feel?"

My eyes darken but for a different reason this time. "Amazing."

"Really?"

"Yes. Knowing that I made them feel what I felt, that paralyzing, cloying fear... knowing that I was strong enough to avenge myself without help from anyone else, that felt beyond amazing. At first."

"What do you mean?"

I snort, marveling at where even this thread of conversation will take us. "He tried to warn me beforehand... Edward did. Said vengeance wouldn't feel the way I thought it would. And before you ask, no. I hadn't asked his opinion. He invaded my most private thoughts and offered his unsolicited advice on a situation that had absolutely nothing to do with him."

"But you're not bitter about it."

"No. Can't you tell?"

We share a brief laugh at the expense of my former self.

"Killing Royce and those men made me feel like I was on top of the world," I continue. "For about a week. Which, for a vampire, feels like only a few minutes. But after the satisfaction cooled and the stench of their blood faded, I was still the discarded girl with no past she could claim and no future to desire. I was still haunted by what they did to me, damaged beyond what I even knew, and would never be able to escape the brutal reality of what I had now done. The weight of that... the realization of all that... it crushed me."

"God, Rose..." She nibbles her bottom lip. "I am so sorry."

"It's okay."

"No, it's not. Especially when I think about what I said to you earlier..."

"Like I said, it's okay. This is all in the past, Bella. The distant past and not just chronologically. It may sound bizarre to say, but I hardly think about those days now."

"Oh. So if I can just live another 70 years, maybe I won't think about my heartache anymore either."

I fight through the rush of guilt, refusing to give it place.

"It didn't take 70 years for me to get past it, Bella," I say carefully. "It just... it really just took one thing."

"Finding love with someone else?"

"No. Finding love within myself."

Bella blinks at me... before erupting into raucous laughter.

"Love myself? Wow, Rose... I would expect that Oprah-inspired, self-help crap from Alice or maybe even Esme, but I thought you were smarter than that."

When I don't reply, Bella's laughter slowly subsides. She glances at me, her words seeming to catch up with her, and she covers her mouth, shutting her eyes in shame. I didn't exactly expect these mood swings from her, but neither am I surprised. After being practically catatonic for what must have been months, the release of one emotion was bound to unleash many others.

But as healthy as that is, I cannot allow guilt to take hold. And if her facial expression is any indication, that's exactly what is about to happen.

"Listen," I say kindly. "I'm not telling you that giving yourself a hug or buying a Christmas tree is going to fix your broken heart. I'm not even saying that you're guaranteed a better life later just because you're hurting right now."

She keeps her gaze on her lap. "Then what are you saying?"

"I'm saying you have a choice." I rest my hand atop hers this time. "I'm saying that every day, you have the power to decide what you want, what you will and will not accept for yourself. And no matter what has already happened, nothing and no one can take that power from you. Unless you give it up."

"But how..." She shuts her eyes, her voice quivering. "How can I decide what I want or even find the energy to get it when all I do is hurt? I can't... I can't even go to school without falling apart some days, and the one time I try to just be normal, I..." She shakes her head. "I just don't know how to do it, any of it."

"I know. Believe me. And you know what Esme used to tell me? 'You won't need to know what you need to know until you need to know it.' "

Bella mouths the words, her brows knitting in confusion.

"I mean, look at me and Emmett. Even though I loved him on sight and knew he was my mate, I had no idea _how_ to love him or how to let him love me. And the 'not knowing' kept me from marrying him for an entire decade."

She looks up with wide eyes. "You didn't marry Emmett right away?"

"The family prefers to focus on how often we lived on our own and how many houses we destroyed on our notorious honeymoons. But they seldom discuss the reason our honeymoons were so significant. It took us—well, me—a very long time to get to the point where _that_ could even be possible. And by 'that,' I don't just mean saying 'I do.' "

She blushes. "Yeah, I... well, of course that part would be difficult based on your... history."

"Exactly. And I didn't know learning all of that would take ten years, and I certainly didn't want it to take ten years. But because of those ten years, I became sure of myself, of Emmett, and of what I wanted. So even though it took ten years for us to really get started, the last 60 years have been the best of my life. So what I'm trying to say is..."

"I have to take it one day at a time," she murmurs. "Even if today sucks."

"Right. Because today will suck in a different way than yesterday, and tomorrow might not suck at all. Either way, you'll eventually look back on these days and maybe see them in a different way. Because maybe you'll be in a different place, wanting different things."

"Being a different me." She exhales slowly. "But first I have to make a choice."

"First, you have to make a choice."

Bella nods absently, her faraway gaze suggesting she's lost in thought. I turn away to give her some privacy hoping all this talking hasn't overwhelmed her.

"Okay," she says. "I've made a choice."

I nod with her. "All right."

"And I..." She looks up and holds my gaze. "I am choosing to get a Christmas tree."

The words are simple, but they warm my heart more than I thought they possibly could.

"Okay, then." I smile at her. "Let's go get a Christmas tree."

* * *

 **Thanks for reading—see you Saturday! XOXO**


	38. Chapter 38

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything in the Twiverse. I'm just playing around in** _ **New Moon**_ **with Rosalie.**

 **Well, it's Saturday somewhere...**

* * *

 **What Have We Done?**

 **Chapter 38**

We emerge from the truck and shiver against the cold. And I cannot speak for Bella, but I feel lighter than I have since...

Well, since before we knew _she_ existed.

Bella stuffs her hands in her pockets as we head toward the tree lot entrance. "Have you ever done this before?"

"No. Usually Ali... uh, someone else in the family selects the tree."

"It's okay." She looks away. "You don't have to avoid talking about your family. You must miss them a lot."

"Not as much as you might think. I mean, of course I miss Emmett and Esme because they're just... them. But I cannot tell you the last time I had an opportunity to be truly alone. It's rather refreshing."

"Even though you have to deal with me?"

I put my arm around her, startling us both. "I think I'll survive."

Before us is an assortment of lush evergreens in every possible shade and size. The Swan residence is a closet compared to the houses I usually occupy, but I determine to find something beautiful. With Bella already a high school senior, this may well be her last Christmas with Charlie.

And considering everything that's happened this year, they could really use some holiday cheer.

Bella blinks at the array of trees. "I didn't know there'd be so many."

"Picking the right tree is a delicate science, or so I've been told." I scoff at the memory of Alice's lengthy thoughts on the subject. "Almost like picking a wedding dress."

"A fashion reference?" Bella shakes her head. "Did you forget who you were talking to?"

A bark of a laugh escapes me, causing nearby shoppers to look our way. Bella covers her mouth, but I can see the mirth in her eyes. "My bad," I reply.

For the first half hour or so, Bella and I hardly pay the trees any attention. I mean, I've been living in one for the past week, and she's a desert-and-dirt girl at heart. But the atmosphere itself is intoxicating, reminding me of everything worth loving during the holidays:

The bouncy carols playing on the PA system.

The excited salespeople who only get to do this once a year.

The cheery children sipping hot cocoa while their parents debate branch density.

And the hopeful look in a brown-haired girl's eyes as she strolls along, looking to make yet another choice.

"So how do I do this?" she asks. "What does Al... I mean, how does Alice usually go about it?"

"Her system is so elaborate and whimsical I don't even think she understands it." I caress the branches of a nearby eleven-foot Virginia pine. "But she did say that... oh, crap."

Bella looks at me. "What?"

I wince, hating myself for not thinking this through. "When, uh... when we lived in Forks, she placed a permanent embargo on spruce trees."

"Why?"

"Because they have the sharpest needles," I mutter. "And she didn't want you to cut your finger."

"Oh." Bella's cheeks redden, and she turns away. "That... that was nice of her."

"Yeah. So we know to stay away from those."

"Right."

The mood between us cools a bit but hasn't yet soured. So I hurry to the first non-spruce I see, refusing to dwell in the past. "What about this one?"

Bella shakes her head. "Too wide. And way too tall."

"Fair enough." I walk to another one nearby. "This one is a lot smaller."

"It really is." She shakes her head. "It's like that poor little Charlie Brown tree."

"Maybe it just needs a little love," I say, quoting the blanket-toting kid from the cartoon.

"Maybe we all do," Bella murmurs, moving on to the next tree. "This one is nice."

"It's an eight-foot Balsam fir."

Bella leans in and inhales. "That smells amazing."

"You wanna get it?"

"I think..." Her nose wrinkles, and she releases a loud, sloppy sneeze. "I think maybe one a little less fragrant."

"Or maybe one you don't stick your whole face in."

She rolls her eyes, and I laugh as she heads in another direction, assessing the offerings as she goes.

"Too short... not enough branches... not enough color... too belongs-in-a-horror-movie... ooh!" Bella stops in front of a gorgeous Fraser fir. "This one is perfect."

"These are my favorite too." I take a deep breath, the familiar aroma soothing my soul. "Ah, but it's an eleven-footer."

"Crap." Bella frowns. "Do you see another one like it?"

I scan the opposite end of the lot, my keen eyesight reading the tags with ease. "Bam! Found one."

"Really?" Bella's eyes light up. "Go claim it before someone else does."

"I'm on it!"

I stop short of using vampire speed and power-walk across the lot, grinning like an idiot when I reach the desired tree. I'm just about to flag down a red-vested tree lot attendant when the sound of a familiar voice reaches my ears, making my frozen skin crawl.

Damn. I should have known this would happen.

* * *

 **Hmmm... I wonder who this could be.**

 **Thanks for reading—see you Sunday! XOXO**


	39. Chapter 39

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything in the Twiverse. I'm just playing around in** _ **New Moon**_ **with Rosalie.**

 **Hey, folks! Two things:**

 **1) I have a Poll at the top of my profile on the regular FFN site—you can't see my profile from the mobile site—so if you have a minute, I'd love for you to share your opinion. Thank you so much to those who already have!**

 **2) If we're friends on Facebook—I'm Denise Leora Madre—and your FFN name is different than your FB name, could you tell me who you are in your next review? Or message me on FB with your FFN name? I always want to make sure I'm making those connections, and sometimes I don't see it until it's pointed out. Thanks for helping my brain get it together!**

 **Now let's find out who has Rose's designer drawers in a bunch! (Some of you guessed correctly.)**

* * *

 **What Have We Done?**

 **Chapter 39**

One of the best things about living in Forks had been the nearly constant cloud cover, allowing my vampiric family to spend much of its time outdoors.

One of the worst things about living in Forks was the obligation for all of us except Carlisle and Esme to endure the painful charade of high school.

And on the other side of those trees, where I left Bella standing, is the most migraine-inducing of that immature, self-absorbed lot.

I am talking, of course, about Lauren Primrose Mallory.

Yes, her middle name is Primrose. How do I know that? Because the insipid little twit bellowed that useless tidbit in my ear on our family's first day at Forks High. Because for some idiotic reason, she figured that the similarities in our names ensured that we would be the absolute best of friends—and yes, she used that exact phrasing.

After I growled and told her to go away and stay there—and yes, I used that exact phrasing—she figured she would try another, more direct route to ingratiate herself into my life.

She decided to go after Edward.

This, in and of itself, wasn't unusual, for Edward had more would-be suitors than he knew what to do with. But Lauren specialized in imagining these strange, elaborate scenarios in which Edward became her lover and I became the sister she never had.

And when I say "elaborate," I mean she would finalize the details down to the entrée she would order on her first date with Edward and which nail color I would choose during our first spa day as besties.

I wish I was kidding.

The ripple effect of this? Edward would hear Lauren's thoughts... which would incense or aggravate or disturb him so much that his feelings would overload Jasper's sensibilities... which would cause Jasper to spread Edward's feelings to the rest of us...

Which would cause me to decide to blur across the cafeteria or the gym or the school parking, grab Lauren by the throat, and shake some sense into her...

Which would cause Alice to say "Emmett, get her" in that tone she uses when she knows I'm about to lose my shit... Which would cause Emmett to pat my hand and ask, "Do you actually want to touch her?"

Which would bring me back to my senses... until the next lunch period or fire drill or pep rally.

I spent three hellacious years trapped in that school with that delusional space cadet, and now she was once again within earshot, doing what she does best: whatever it is that _least_ needs doing.

And she was doing it with Bella.

"Glad to see you out and about," Lauren says, her voice betraying how little she means it.

"It's good to be out," Bella says, her voice seeming to silently add, _"Until now."_

"I'm surprised you're over here," Lauren continues. "The discounted trees in the back of the lot seem more your type."

"What?"

"Come on. Between that beat-up truck and your clothes, there's no way you can afford to spend this much on a Christmas tree."

Even at this distance, I can hear Bella's answering sigh. And her inability to stand up for herself makes me want to punch something.

Or someone.

"Are you here alone?" Lauren presses.

"No."

"Really? Because I don't see anyone with you." She huffs a laugh. "Then again, I guess this wouldn't be the first time you hallucinated someone."

Bella's breathing catches. "What?"

"Jessica told us what happened at the pep rally." I don't know what this means, but Bella's heart seems to hammer faster. "Then she said it got even weirder at the movies the next night. She said you acted like you saw a ghost or something."

"He wasn't a ghost," Bella murmurs.

"He? Did you say 'he'?" Lauren laughs aloud, and I get sick to my stomach. "Oh my god, you _have_ lost your mind! No wonder Edward came to his senses and left you."

Bella gasps, and I grab the arm of the nearest tree lot attendant, grateful I don't pull it out of socket as I yank him toward me. "I want this tree. Stay here with it until I get back."

I hear his stammering assent as I storm across the lot at a barely human pace, willing myself not to bring my Lauren-choking fantasy to life. But the closer I get to where she stands with Bella, the more I realize that while verbally undressing Lauren would make me feel great, it would only embarrass Bella and highlight her inability to defend herself.

So I go with Plan B, pasting my brightest smile on my face as I approach the two of them from behind.

"Bella, I got the tree! And it's even prettier that this one."

Bella and Lauren turn to gape at me, but I act as if Lauren isn't even there.

"And the tree's on me." I actually manage to look ashamed. "It's the least I can do for breaking your new blender. Guess I should have cracked those walnuts before I..."

"Oh my god!" Lauren finally finds her voice. "Rosalie Hale?"

I cut my eyes at her. "And you are?"

"It's me!" She actually sticks out her hand. "Lauren Primrose!"

I wrinkle my nose as if smelling something foul. "Who?"

"From Forks High?" She drops her hand. "I was... I'm in Bella's class."

"Oh. Well, she never mentions you, so..." I smile at Bella. "Ready to go?"

Bella nods, but Lauren exclaims, "I can't believe I'm actually running into you! I didn't even know you were back in town."

"And I didn't know that was any of your business."

"It is! I mean, it could be." Her smile impossibly brightens. "I was just saying to Bella that we should get together over Christmas break. And since you're here, maybe you could come too!"

"That is so funny!" I clap my hand on her shoulder, pleased when she groans. "Because I was just saying to myself that I hate fake-ass fluffers who think I'm too stupid to see through them."

I turn sharply away, knowing my hair will hit Lauren in the face, and look at Bella. "Our tree should be ready by now."

Bella nods again and heads in the direction from whence I came. The defeat in her posture makes me clench my fist to keep from punching a hole through Lauren's face. Knowing she feels cut down to size mollifies my anger, but not by much.

"It's right over here," I tell Bella, pointing to the relieved attendant beside our tree, but she isn't paying me much attention. Though she says nothing, I can almost feel her slipping back into that abyss of nothingness, and I cannot allow that to happen. Not after she's come so far, not because of some basic bitch like Lauren Mallory, and definitely not on my watch.

I have to do something. I don't know what, but I have to do something.

* * *

 **I see why the filmmakers chose to basically combine Lauren and Jessica's characters, but I always thought Lauren was FAR worse than Jessica. And because there was so little known about her, she was the perfect choice for this scene, LOL.**

 **Thanks for reading—see you Tuesday! XOXO**


	40. Chapter 40

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything in the Twiverse. I'm just playing around in** _ **New Moon**_ **with Rosalie.**

 **Thank you so much for all the friending on Facebook! It's been so nice chatting with so many of you and finally connecting names and faces. Oh, and I'll share the results of the poll at the end of the week—special thanks to those who PM'd me alternate third options. They were really helpful!**

 **Lastly... my apologies to anyone named Lauren or Primrose or who likes Primroses or has a pet pig or beloved Aunt named Lauren or Primrose. They are both beautiful names that happen to be attached to a complete "hoedog" in this story. Y'all had some really creative monikers for Lauren, but that one is my favorite. (Thank you, Snoopylover60!)**

 **Enough chit-chat. Let's see what Rose does to get that heffa back!**

* * *

 **What Have We Done?**

 **Chapter 40**

As Bella helps the lot attendants tie the tree onto the top of the truck, I force myself to not to watch her. That haunting indifference has already returned in half-hearted shoulder shrugs when asked a question, and my mind doubles down on a desire to find Lauren Mallory and just beat her ass.

Then I realize the odds of me actually hitting her without killing her as slim to none, and I change tactics. I could find the tree lot manager and offer her $1,000 to refuse to sell Lauren a tree. I could call Jenks and ask him to freeze all her credit cards (and pretend I don't know how he has the power to do so). I could spread a rumor that she has a shrine to Jessica Stanley and Mike Newton in a secret room in that enormous house she always brags about, trapping three rodents with one story.

I could even wait until Bella falls asleep tonight, take a piece of fish from Charlie's endless freezer supply, and hide its broken pieces all over Lauren's life—a few cubes stuffed in the curtain rods in her bedroom, half a filet dropped into the tank on the back of her toilet, a smooth pate smeared beneath the lining in her car's trunk.

But as satisfying as those possibilities might be, they would have no effect on the heart of the problem—namely, Bella's struggles to express anything but sadness, to do anything but retreat when she feels threatened. Sure, she yelled at me in the car on the way here, but I'm sure she knew I wouldn't hold it against her or try to retaliate. But in the face of someone who might not show such deference, Bella completely demurs. Yes, Lauren Mallory is a waste of skin who deserves a year of cramps without Midol, but she isn't really the point.

Bella's backbone is the point. And that is what she needs to get back.

She has already paid for the tree, but I handsomely tip the attendants, asking them to take their sweet, inept time tying Lauren Mallory's tree to her truck. I can overhear her right now in the distance, bragging on the phone about her date with Tyler Crowley tonight. And although his near-miss with Bella set her entire relationship with Edward in motion, even he deserves better than an evening with the self-absorbed likes of her.

It's almost funny to think about now—how viciously I berated Edward for saving Bella from that careening van, and here I am, saving Bella from what Edward has done, from what we all have done. The argument may have started in the halls of the hospital, but that was nothing compared to what happened when the entire family got together that evening.

Without question, it was the worst fight our family has ever had. In almost 70 years of knowing them, I'd never seen Carlisle so beside himself or Esme so visibly upset, and not just because in my anger I slammed my hand on the kitchen island hard enough to crack the quartz countertop.

Hmm. I wonder if she would…

My phone buzzes immediately in my pocket—one long tone followed by two short ones. It's Alice's digital confirmation that she has seen your latest decision and sees no negative outcomes on the horizon.

I sigh in relief, only just realizing how nervous I'd been. For had she sent five rapid buzzes in reply, that would have spelled definite disaster.

And this time, I have no Plan B.

Feeling confident again, I saunter around to the driver's side and stick out my hand with a huff. "Gimme."

"What?"

"Your keys." When Bella doesn't reply, I raise a brow. "Are you confused by my diction or my request?"

"Both." She opens the door with a frown. "Why do you want my keys?"

"Simple—have you ever driven this rustbucket with a Christmas tree on top of it?"

"No."

"Then if it's all the same to you, I'd rather not suffer through your first attempt. Seeing Lauren Mallory was punishment enough for one day." I wiggle the fingers on my still outstretched hand. "So gimme."

I expect Bella to snort, to protest, to do anything expressing any one of the many emotions I know she's feeling right now. But she merely offers another shrug, limply drops the keys into my palm, and slides over to the passenger's side.

And the sight of it makes me want to cry.

"Do you know your way..." she trails off as she clicks her seatbelt. "Never mind. I'm sure you'll figure it out."

"No worries." I put the key in the ignition. "I already have."

I take my time as we ride to the house. Not because the roads are slick or because I'm uncertain of how to get there but because I'm hoping to get some reaction—to Lauren's behavior, to the bad drivers, or to the fact that after 40 minutes with the radio on, we've already heard three renditions of _Jingle Bells._

(Seriously, people? There are other carols.)

But she doesn't move or speak the entire way, and as I pull in front of the house, I realize that the time for talking is official over.

Right now, it's all about action.

I turn off the truck and jump out, leaving the keys in the ignition. I don't speak or do anything to address the tree. I just stand outside and wait.

And I only have to wait 27 seconds before I hear it—a sharp intake of breath and the immediate quickening of her heartbeat. And if I were to turn around, I know I would see her staring through the windshield with wide, disbelieving eyes.

"Come on, Bella," I mutter to myself. "Don't let me down."

* * *

 **I know, I know... it's another cliffie. But hey, at least the chapters aren't 100-words long anymore, right? Right?**

 **LOVE Y'ALL! See you Thursday! XO**


	41. Chapter 41

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything in the Twiverse. I'm just playing around in** _ **New Moon**_ **with Rosalie.**

 **Hey, y'all! Yesterday was a little rough, but today is already better because I'm here with you!**

 **The results of the poll are in, and it wasn't even close—a solid 81% of you prefer prewritten WIPs to True WIPs. No real surprise, I guess, but still worth knowing. So thank you to all who voted!**

 **Now some of you figured out what Rose is up to. Let's share it with the rest of the class, hmm?**

* * *

 **What Have We Done?**

 **Chapter 41**

It takes every bit of my supernatural strength not to turn around or speak. I have done the first part, thrown down the gauntlet, if you will. But Bella has to pick it up.

She has to take the next step.

I can hear her murmured confusion, her heart stuttering in her chest as she processes the sight before her. But she has yet to make an actual move, so I cannot be sure if she plans to confront me or slide over to the driver's side and let her squealing tires do the talking.

This is why I had to leave the keys in the truck. I had to show her that whatever happens now is completely up to her. And because I am her friend, I will accept her decision either way.

But because I am her friend, I hope she does what I want her to do.

"Oh my god..." Bella's shaky voice floats toward me. "What did... how did we... oh my god..."

I don't respond, and not just because she doesn't seem to be talking to me.

"Rose?" She calls from the passenger seat. "Rosalie, I know you can hear me."

Her voice is gaining strength, but I remain where and as I am. I loathe my current resemblance to another member of our clan on another significant occasion, but at the moment it cannot be helped.

"Please don't ignore me. You said... you said you wouldn't do that."

I clamp my mouth shut, reminding myself of the necessity.

"I can't... I don't know what you want from me, but I have nothing left. And you know this, Rose. You know better than anyone, so why... why would you do this to me? Why would you... why would you bring me back to this house?"

I can only imagine how our former Forks home must look to her, and if not for Alice's earlier confirmation, I would feel like absolute shit for deciding to bring her here.

"Do you know I actually did this a week after he... after everyone left? Just to see if... if at least this much was real?" She sniffles, and I almost break. "I thought seeing this house would make me feel better, but it didn't. Because it was just as cold and lifeless and silent then as it is now. As you are right now."

I brace myself for that familiar anger from our ride to the tree lot, but to my surprise, Bella does not speak again. I expect my phone to buzz to indicate that things have gone awry, but my phone is also unresponsive. And as Bella is giving me nothing to go on, I have no idea what to do next.

So I close my eyes and do what I always do when I don't know what to do:

I follow my instincts.

"I should just go home," Bella mutters from the truck. "I should just take my tree and go home. It's not like she doesn't have a place to stay."

I bend to the ground then, picking up a rock the size of a grapefruit. I turn around and make deliberate eye contact with Bella...

... and hurl the stone through the window on the left side of the front door.

The glass shatters spectacularly, the glittering sound cutting through the silence with audacious flair.

"Oh my god!" The truck door soon slams behind me, followed by furious footsteps. "Have you lost your mind?"

I look at her again, still saying nothing, and yank a dead branch from a nearby tree. With an arch of my brow, I casually fling it like a Frisbee through the glass pane on the other side of the door, smiling as the glittering shards hit the ground.

Bella gapes at me, her eyes wide as saucers. "What the hell are you doing?"

"I am doing _something_." My voice is even as I look at her. "What are _you_ doing?"

She crosses her arms as I grab another rock. "I don't know what you mean."

"Not yet, but you will." I toss the rock over my shoulder, and it crashes into a window on the second floor. "And when you figure it out, maybe you'll decide to do something too."

"What, like vandalize your former house?"

"If you want."

She shakes her head. "I couldn't do that to Esme."

"Please. This is the best thing that could ever happen to this house." At her disbelieving snort, I face her. "Do you... do you honestly think we could ever live here again? Here where so many bad things happened?"

She pales instantly. "No, of course not. I... I know Carlisle doesn't look old enough anymore, so you wouldn't be able to..."

"Not Forks. This house. No one has ever said as much, but trust me—if we ever returned to Forks, this house would be a non-option."

"So where..." She toes the ground. "Where would you live?"

"We could always rebuild on this site or head further out. Either way, our next house here wouldn't be this one." I throw another large stone toward the side of the house, offering another grin when it rewards me with the sound of more breaking glass. "So you'd be doing Esme a favor."

"Even so, I barely have the coordination to throw a rock into a pool, let alone make a dent in a house strong enough to hold seven vampires."

I look at her. "You could throw one at me."

"Excuse me?"

"You could throw a rock at me." I select one of a good size and shape and place it in her hand. "Several, in fact."

"Rosalie..." Bella shakes her head as I assemble her arsenal. "I am not going to throw rocks at you."

"Why not? You know you've thought about it."

She actually blushes. "I've thought about a lot of things I shouldn't actually do."

"So why not take this rare opportunity to actually do one of those things?"

"Because I might sprain my wrist or fall on my face or..."

"...enjoy it so much that you become addicted and develop a wicked curve ball that helps you lead Forks High to its first softball championship in 25 years?"

"Or that." Bella chuckles, laying her rock-free hand on my arm. "I appreciate the offer, Rose, but I would never throw rocks at a friend. I would never do to you what I wouldn't let someone else do to you, and... oh my god, I just figured out why we're here."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. And it's not about the house."

"No."

"Or my past."

"No."

"Or me practicing the art of rock-throwing so I can nail Lauren Mallory with a thick, wet snowball to the face sometime next week."

We pause to consider that, chuckling in unison.

"I let her get to me," she mutters more seriously, tossing the rocks aside. "I didn't want to, didn't have to, but I let her get to me." She meets my gaze. "And I won't let anyone to do that again, not unless they intend to be good to me."

"Good answer. Now let's get this tree home." I brush off my hands and head back to the truck. "But I'm still driving."

Bella snorts but doesn't protest, walking around to the passenger side. And as we pull away from a house I used to call home, I begin to hope I might someday have that privilege again in Forks.

After some major reconstruction, of course.

* * *

 **I don't know if that worked out according to Rose's plan—I certainly had something else in mind when I conceived this chapter—but she and Bella seem satisfied with how it turned out. What about you?**

 **Thanks for reading—see you Saturday! XOXO**


	42. Chapter 42

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything in the Twiverse. I'm just playing around in** _ **New Moon**_ **with Rosalie.**

 **Some of you were surprised that Bella made a connection between Rose destroying the Cullen mansion and her own self-respect.**

 **Well, let's just say you weren't the only one...**

* * *

 **What Have We Done?**

 **Chapter 42**

Bella and I head back to the Swan residence in peaceful silence. Her mood is noticeably improved, and she even hums along to a carol or two.

Mission accomplished.

But while I am relieved that she got something valuable out of our little detour to my former home, I must confess that things did not go as planned.

In fact, I'm surprised she got anything out of it at all.

See, the plan was for Bella to see the house and have a visceral reaction. I wanted her to rage or cry or just show some real emotion that I could use to bring her back to the place where she would not let anyone— _especially_ the likes of Lauren Mallory—push her around.

Instead she only reacted when I broke the front window... and only because she thought I'd lost my mind. At that point, I figured the entire enterprise was a colossal failure and would have admitted to throwing the rock because I hated the architecture just to avoid saying, "Yeah, I thought bringing you here would help somehow, but I was wrong, so let's just go back to your house, put up the tree, and pretend this never happened."

Instead, when faced with the option of hurting someone else to make herself feel better, Bella chose to be true to her feelings, to the kind core of who she is. And in doing that, she brought us right around to the very point of the trip.

And I am all too happy to accept full credit for her accidental brilliance.

We park the behemoth in the Swan's driveway, and once I confirm the street is empty, I grab the tree with one hand and carry it inside the house. Bella goes to the garage to get Christmas decorations, returning just as I finish clearing a space for the tree in front of the window.

"This is heavier than I remember." She drags a dilapidated box through the back door. "But everything's here."

"Sweet." I help her set the box in the middle of the living room floor. "Let's untangle the lights first."

I move at a human pace in case anyone is looking through the window, and at first the mood remains light. But the not-so-stealthy looks Bella keeps tossing my way remind me that there is something we have yet to discuss. And though I have no intention of bringing it up, she seems to be waiting for me to do just that.

So when the tree-decorating process is finally finished, I fold my arms and face her. "Tell me."

She actually tries to look confused. "What?"

"Tell me."

Bella sighs, smoothing the final strand of garland. "There was no ghost."

"Okay."

"But last week, I overheard Charlie on the phone with my mom, saying that if he didn't see some life in me soon, he was sending me back to her. So the next day, I forced myself to attend some stupid midday pep rally at school celebrating final exams or winter break or something. But it was in the gym, and I... for whatever reason, all I could see was Edw— _us_ together dancing at prom. It was like I could actually feel his arms around me, smell his scent, taste his breath...

"So when Jessica elbowed me to get my attention, I got startled and said his name aloud."

"Oh." I try to keep the surprise out of my voice. "I can see why that would be embarrassing. But you were lost in your memories. It's not like you actually thought you saw him."

She nods but doesn't look at me. "Jessica heard me and looked at me like I was crazy, and if not for Charlie's words ringing in my ears, I would have left the gym and not cared what she thought. But to save face, I asked Jess if she wanted to see a movie that night. She was skeptical because I've barely spoken four words to her since... since earlier this year. But after I said it was my treat and she could pick the movie, she agreed."

I can tell there's more, so I do not reply.

"After the movie, we were walking in Port Angeles, and I thought I saw someone who..." She looks at me, frowning slightly. "I mean, one of the guys who tried to..."

"Attack you—it's okay to say it. I know Edward rescued you, and I'm grateful. I was even then."

"Well, I thought I saw one of them, so I decided to walk toward them and kept going, even when Jessica begged me not to go."

"Oh, Bella." This girl... "Why?"

"Because the moment I decided to go confront that guy, I had some sort of vision of Edw— _him_ , warning me not to do anything reckless. And after not seeing him for so long and missing him so much, I just... I wanted to see if I would see him again if I kept walking."

I wait to get my voice under control. "Did you?"

"Yes, but it actually scared me so much I suddenly turned around and walked back to where Jess was standing. And I probably did look like I saw a ghost."

"But of course you couldn't tell her what happened."

She shakes her head, adjusting an errant ornament. "And if Jessica blabbing about it to Lauren wasn't bad enough, the worst part is that vision or whatever it was only made me feel worse and more lost than ever. It reminded me of all the things I still don't know, all the questions I have that can't get answered because no matter what I might see in my mind, he isn't really here."

"No..." A light bulb goes off in my head, and I look at her. "But what if he could be?"

* * *

 **Wait... WHAT did she just say?**

 **Find out Monday, dear readers! XOXO**


	43. Chapter 43

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything in the Twiverse. I'm just playing around in** _ **New Moon**_ **with Rosalie.**

 **Happy Monday! Thank you for all the support and reviews—they make my heart sing!**

 **(And to the Guest Reviewer who has been reading "Serenity's Prayer" and "The Last Word" and leaving me all those lovely reviews, would you PLEASE use your name once so I can thank you properly? Thank you so much!)**

 **Okedoke, let's find out what in heckfire Rosalie was talking about...**

* * *

 **What Have We Done?**

 **Chapter 43**

Bella stares at me with wide eyes, her lips moving without coherent sound. And from the drastic uptick in her heart rate, I realize how incorrectly my words could be interpreted.

"I don't mean that I would bring him here," I add hastily.

"Oh." She releases a heavy breath, the color returning to her cheeks. "Oh, good. Because I'm... I'm not ready for that."

"I know."

"You know?"

"Yes." Her face falls, and I touch her hand. "And I agree. It's too soon."

She swallows hard. "Well, if you didn't mean that, what did you mean?"

"I mean, what if he could answer your questions?"

Her eyes widen impossibly. "How?"

"You could talk to him."

"Talk?"

"Yes."

"To hi... to Edward?"

"Yes."

"How?"

"I could call him."

"You would..." Her voice grows fainter with each question. "Call him?"

"Yes. I don't think I've called him twice in the past 50 years, so he's more likely to answer me than anyone else."

"More likely?"

"It's not like I can know for sure. He, uh... he hasn't been in touch since we left Forks." At her blank stare, I explain. "He did leave Forks. We're sure of that. But he, uh... he never showed up in Ithaca, so we don't know where he is."

She absorbs this information with an absent nod, and I wonder what she's thinking.

"So if that's the case," she asks. "What makes you think you could still reach him?"

"Decades ago, he promised Esme that she would always be able to get in touch with him. From that, I assume he has the same number."

"That's a pretty big assumption."

"I know, but..."

"But what?"

"I also have a feeling he doesn't want to completely disappear, that he wants us to still be able to reach him if we have to."

"But if he's ignored everyone's attempts to get in touch with him so far, then how could you..."

"He hasn't."

"What?"

"He hasn't ignored us." I find sudden interest in the pattern of bulbs on the Christmas tree. "Unless something has changed since I left Ithaca, we haven't tried to contact him. Since we left Forks, I mean."

"I guess that makes sense. He left you, so it's... it's not on you to track him down." She looks up at me. "Right?"

"There is that. But it's more so that Carlisle insisted we leave him be." I frown, remembering how the family deflated upon the pronouncement. "Honoring the covenant and all."

"Right."

Our optical standoff is intense but non-combative, and I sense she's searching for something in my gaze. I don't know what it is, but I allow her to stare until she closes her eyes on a sigh.

"I don't want to talk to him." Her voice shakes, but the sentiment is firm. "I'm just... I know I said I had questions, and I do. But I just... I don't think I could bear to..."

"I know, Bella. And it's okay."

"Is it? You've giving me a chance to confront him, to finally say what I've been dying to say all this time, and I'm turning it down?" She looks up with damp eyes. "Who does that?"

"Someone who has the good sense to think before she acts. And that person is more than okay."

"If you say so."

"I do. And you don't have to talk to him."

"But I still want you to call," she adds quickly. "I... I still want that."

"Then I will call him."

"And say what? I don't want him to know that we're together."

"Remember that text I got about the house from my childhood? I can call him about that. I have to, actually, because he's the one Jenks was looking for."

She looks at me again. "So he won't know I'm there?"

"He won't know a thing." I take a tentative step toward her. "And Bella, if you don't want to me to call him, I don't have to. It was just a suggestion, honestly."

"What about your family's house?"

"Not more important than you being okay."

She nods, though the glazed look in her eyes suggests she might not be paying strict attention. I don't know what made me offer to let her hear Edward's voice, and even though she seems practically petrified by the prospect, I cannot make myself regret it now.

The clock in the hall marks the time we pass in silence, and I marvel that only yesterday morning I stopped Bella from falling and proved my very real presence in her room. I feel like so much has changed since then. Yet as Bella nibbles her bottom lip in intense thought, I realize some things are exactly as they were before:

Bella is scared.

I'm out of my depth.

And Alice is silent.

I know she long ago explained why she doesn't respond to every decision we make, that she can also see whether or not we need her confirmation, so I shouldn't read too much into the fact that I haven't heard from her. But I could really use one long buzz and two short ones from my phone right now.

Then again, if this phone call is what Bella wants, then this phone call is what Bella will get, no matter what Alice sees. This poor girl has had enough of letting fate or other people decide her life for her. It is time she decides for herself.

And whatever she decides, she couldn't possibly hurt more than she already does, right?

"Okay."

I blink out of my thoughts and look at her. "I'm sorry?"

She sighs heavily, nodding once. "Let's call him."

* * *

 **Well... I guess we're gonna call him!**

 **Thanks for reading—see you Wednesday! XOXO**


	44. Chapter 44

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything in the Twiverse. I'm just playing around in** _ **New Moon**_ **with Rosalie.**

 **May I just say... I have some of the savviest, most creative readers in the fandom? It's a good thing I stay on my toes (most of the time) because y'all don't miss NUTHIN. Loved hearing your thoughts on what would happen, so let's get down to business!**

 **I sure hope Rose and Bella are ready for this...**

* * *

 **What Have We Done?**

 **Chapter 44**

We sit side by side on the couch, my cell phone face-up between us on the coffee table. Bella's knee bobs beside me, her bottom lip is wedged between her teeth, and her eyes are wide enough to pop out of her head.

And I haven't even unlocked my phone yet.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" I ask for the first and only time. I'm not usually one for hesitation, but if ever a moment warrants it, this one does.

She looks at me, releasing that bottom lip. "Yes."

"Okay." I key in my passcode, and my screen blinks to life. I pull up Edward's contact information, my nervous gaze flitting to the green phone-shaped icon.

Bella lays a hand on my wrist. "Wait."

"Of course." I leave the phone on the table. "There's no rush."

"It's just that he said your kind... I mean, that he wouldn't be..." She sighs. "Rose, if someone else is there when he answers, I don't know if I could handle that."

"Someone else?"

"Yes. It's been a few months since... since then. And even though I still feel like it happened yesterday, that's plenty of time for him to have moved on and found..."

"Stop." I rest a hand atop hers, noting the similarities between our body temperatures. "Just stop."

I initially take her hand to calm her down, but the longer I think about what my stupid brother said to her, I realize I'm holding on to her to hold on to my sanity.

 _I know I said I wouldn't, but the next time I see Edward, I'm gonna kick the ever-lovin' shit outta him._

"Listen," I finally say. "I don't make promises because life loves to mock my sense of certainty. But I can promise you this—if Edward answers my call, there will not be someone else with him. At least, not the way you're thinking."

"Are you sure?"

"There are few things I am more sure about."

Bella holds my gaze until she can't any longer. "Okay."

"Okay then." I pull up Edward's contact information, and Bella's heart races so fast I'm surprised it doesn't faint from exhaustion. The sound of it fills my ears, almost to distraction, and I suddenly realize I have a problem.

If he isn't to know she's here, then I cannot let him hear that. And I don't know how to keep him from hearing that without keeping him from hearing me.

"What's wrong?" Bella asks. "Are you changing your mind?"

"No, I just..." I look around the room, pissed at myself for not thinking of this sooner. "I need you to move."

"Move?"

"Or maybe I should."

"Why?"

"Because if Edward hears your heartbeat, he'll know you're here." I meet her gaze. "And you don't want that, right?"

She swallows hard. "Right."

"Right." I look around the living room, my gaze landing on the unlit Christmas tree. "I need to go back to my tree."

"What?"

"It's the only place far enough where he won't be able to hear your heartbeat through the phone yet close enough where I can still see you through the window." Her face falls, and I rest a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, but it's the only way."

"Right. I understand."

"I know you won't be able to see me. But I'll be right there, okay?" I point to the window. "Right there. And no matter what happens, I am not going anywhere. I know we all left you once, but I will not leave you, Bella, not unless you tell me to."

"Okay." Her voice is a bit stronger. "Thank you."

Bella gives me her phone number, and I blur across the street, telling her to mute the call. When I reach my tree, I hear nothing from the phone, but the barest hint of her heartbeat is still audible at this distance from the house. It's probably too faint for Edward to catch over the phone, but I'm not taking any chances.

"Hold on," I tell Bella. "I'm going a bit further out."

I see her nod through the window, her nerves on full display.

"Put on some music," I tell her. "That might help."

She practically races toward the radio, nearly tripping over the rug, and finds the Christmas station. I faintly hear yet another version of _Jingle Bells_ as I continue into the forest and turn to see her shaking her head with a small smile. And though it hardly means we're out of the woods—metaphorically speaking, of course—that small gesture helps me believe everything will be all right, no matter what happens next.

I select a tree some 50 feet beyond my original one, and Bella's heartbeat is completely lost to me. With a sigh of relief, I perch myself on a sturdy branch with a clear view of the Swan house and pull up Edward's contact information.

"Calling him now," I say through the phone, and Bella presses a button before setting the phone on the coffee table. She paces back and forth, her lips moving too quickly for me to read them at this distance, but I am imagine she is praying.

One of us certainly should.

Though she is the abandoned human about to hear her wayward mate's voice for the first time, I cannot help but tremble a bit as the phone rings once.

Twice.

Three and four times.

By the fifth ring, Bella is gnawing on her lip again, and I begin to fear Edward will not answer me and screw her over yet again.

Then suddenly the call connects...

... and there is silence.

Dead silence.

Bella looks through the window, a question in her eyes, and I clear my throat, praying for a miracle. "Edward?"

A ragged puff of air comes through the line followed by another long stretch of nothing.

"Ro... Rosalie?"

I blink at the sound, frowning at my phone in confusion.

I know I heard my name, so the person who answered the phone knows my name.

I know someone responded to me calling Edward's name, so it is safe to assume the person who answered the phone is Edward.

But I don't know if that was Edward.

I don't know _what_ that was.

I try again, pressing the phone closer to my ear. "Edward?"

"Rosalie?"

I cover my mouth, my golden eyes stinging for a host of reasons.

It is Edward.

This second exchange confirms it.

But somehow... it is not him.

It's barely anyone.

He sounds hollow... gutted... as if he barely has the will to speak.

As if he barely has the will to live.

And as my brain mulls over what I just heard, I realize he sounds like something else, something I never thought I would hear.

He sounds like Bella looked the day I came back to Forks.

And as that thought crosses my mind, I remember there is a third person on this call.

And I look through the window at Bella, terrified of what I will see.

* * *

 **This was actually two chapters before—drabble fic, remember?—but I thought y'all would riot in the streets if I split this up. You're welcome!**

 **Thanks for reading—see you Friday!**


	45. Chapter 45

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything in the Twiverse. I'm just playing around in** _ **New Moon**_ **with Rosalie.**

 **Since y'all were so kind to put away the pitchforks and call off the uprising, LOL, here I am a day early.**

 **Buuuuut... would it be entirely out of line for me to remind you that this is a drabblish fic, so short chapters are kinda the deal? I know most of the recent ones have been (relatively) long, but at its core, this is a drabble fic. Could I remind y'all of that without risking life and limb?**

 **Ummm, maybe I shouldn't. Maybe we should just check on Bella.**

 **Yeah... let's do that! :)**

* * *

 **What Have We Done?**

 **Chapter 45**

Bella stares at her phone with a shaky hand covering her mouth. Her brown eyes are wide and sightless, and she looks up to stare through the window with an indecipherable expression on her face.

No, that is not exactly true.

Each expression is decipherable, but they change so quickly, one would need vampiric senses to catch them all.

Shock.

Fear.

Anger.

Shame.

Pain.

Confusion.

Longing.

Resentment.

And back to shock again.

Each feeling is fully realized, even as no single emotion dominates for too long. From her erratic gaze darting around the room to the way she grips the back of Charlie's armchair, I begin to think this was a terrible idea.

"Why?"

The gravelly word snaps my attention back to the phone itself. "Why what?"

"Why..." Edward begins. "Did... you... call?"

He speaks without inflection, without intention or care, and it is impossible not to compare this sound... if it could even be called such a thing... to Edward's normal speaking voice. To my eternal consternation, Edward loves to hear himself talk and chooses his words with excessive deliberation. He is prideful in many things, but few more so than his elegance of speech.

So to hear this shattered shadow of what used to be is... is just wrong.

Obscenely so.

And I am someone who never claimed to even like the sound of his voice.

So for the one who once did, who loved it in fact... for the one who surely still does love this voice and everything it represents... what is coming through the phone must be positively gutting.

Bella's hand is now a fist against her mouth, and I can only imagine the sound bubbling up from her belly. Her face pinches in agony as she presses her fist closer to her mouth, and I am so grateful for the foresight to have made this call from a distance.

It is about the only thing for which I can be grateful right now.

"Rosalie?" Edward tries again, slightly stronger this time. "Are you... are you there?"

Bella's eyes widen impossibly further, and her hand releases the back of the recliner. She reaches for the phone on the coffee table, and as she directs her finger toward the keypad, I am all but certain she is about to unmute this call and speak to him.

My lips part to protest, but what can I do at this distance? She cannot hear me, but he can. And if he realizes I am anywhere near her, God only knows what would happen. To his knowledge, Bella and I are not friends, and he would be hard-pressed to see my presence here through a positive lens.

Then again, whatever he might think of me, this shell of a man is Bella's mate, a man suffering just as much as the woman on the other side of that glass pane. And the solution to their problem can be found only in each other, in their coming together and staying together.

And if that miracle were to happen as a result of this call, I am sure Edward would pardon my unexpected involvement in it.

Bella must have been gathering her courage in the meantime, for only now does she press the button to unmute the call. It will take Edward but a moment to hear her heartbeat in the current silence, and I wait with bated breath for what will surely come next.

But in that seminal moment when I expect to hear Bella's heartbeat, Edward unleashes a garbled groan so primal that I nearly fall out of my tree. I cover my gaping mouth with a trembling hand, hopelessly watching as tears gather in Bella's eyes once more. She shakes her head and clamps her lips shut, muting the phone before dropping it into Charlie's recliner. And with a sad, quick glance at the front window, she flies up the stairs and out of my line of sight.

And although I am too far away to hear it, I needn't think too hard to imagine the complete shattering of her heart.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading—see you Saturday! XOXO**


	46. Chapter 46

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything in the Twiverse. I'm just playing around in** _ **New Moon**_ **with Rosalie.**

 **Okay. If you weren't confused about Bella's heartbeat, you can skip this entire A/N.**

 **But if you were, let me be clear:** **Edward DID NOT hear Bella's heartbeat.**

 **Rosalie said,** _ **"But in that seminal moment**_ _ **when I expect to hear**_ _ **Bella's heartbeat, Edward unleashes a garbled groan so primal that I nearly fall out of my tree."**_

 **Rosalie and Edward are on the phone at the same time, hearing all the same things. So Edward could not possibly hear something Rosalie did not. She expected to hear Bella's heartbeat, but she says she heard Edward instead. My Rose is a reliable narrator, so if she says she didn't hear Bella's heartbeat in that moment, neither did Edward.**

 **It's a bit difficult to verbally describe moments when more than one thing is happening at once, but basically Edward groaned right after Bella mutes the phone, so his groaning overshadowed any possibility of anyone hearing Bella's heartbeat. Once Bella heard Edward's outburst, she muted the phone again. So her heartbeat was never heard.**

 **So why was he groaning? Let's find out...**

* * *

 **What Have We Done?**

 **Chapter 46**

"Edward?" I all but cry. "Edward?"

Another groan is my only response, and I drop to the forest floor, my dead heart racing. "Edward, answer me!"

"Rose..."

"Edward, what the hell was that?"

He coughs... my vampire brother _coughs_... before muttering, "I don't want to fight."

"That is not an answer." My words are clipped with fear and a hint of lingering rage. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"I don't..." He coughs _again_. "There must be something wrong... with the wildlife here."

"What?"

"After I feed, I get..." He clears his throat, swallowing hard. "I get these pains."

"Where?"

"In my chest."

I have never heard of such a thing. "You mean, right after you feed?"

"No, it's... it's random." Another muted groan. "But I feel like I'm being ripped apart from the inside out, so it... it has to be the fauna, right?"

I clamp my lips shut to prevent a snort or something stronger. He abandoned his family, his mate, and everything he's ever known, but sure, blame your heartache on the deer. The sheer asininity of his logic makes me so angry I could spit nails.

But I settle for punching a hole in a tree stump.

"Rosalie..."

"What?"

He gasps at my sharp tone, sighing heavily. "I'm... I don't want to fight."

"You don't want to do anything! Hence the reason I had to track you down."

"Wh-what?"

I close my eyes, tempted beyond belief. I would love to tell him off, to tell him exactly what I've seen and heard and what I think of him as a result.

But that is not why I called. Besides which, I promised Bella he wouldn't know any of that.

And if I do nothing else right during this call, I will keep that promise.

"Jenks reached out to me," I say instead.

"Jenks?"

"Yes. Our family lawyer?"

"Oh." Another long beat of silence. "Right."

I wait for him to connect the dots, and when he doesn't, I clench the phone so hard I fear it might break. So I try to work off my frustration by walking—er, blurring—back and forth.

"The Rochester house, Edward," I say through gritted teeth. "Remember? You promised to make sure nothing happened to it?"

"I did?"

I am seriously about to snap.

"Yes. After my parents died, you were going to buy my childhood home outright as a 'sorry-for-being-such-an-ass-after-your-change' present but Carlisle suggested you ask my permission first. I told you I didn't need you to buy it, just to make sure the house was always occupied by a needy family with children... because it was too hard for me to deal with such things." I exhale slowly. "Remember?"

"Yes." The word is barely intelligible. "I remember."

"Good. Well, Jenks contacted me because the current tenants are defaulting on their mortgage after both parents lost their jobs. He said he's left you messages about what to do next but..."

"I'll... I'll take care of it. And I'm..." His voice is a little clearer. "I am sorry he had to bother you."

I don't know which is more startling—the apology he seems to mean or the awareness of the world around him he seems to lack. Either way, I am too stuck to reply, giving him the opportunity to speak again.

"Is this... is this really why you called?"

That sobers me. "I'm sorry?"

"The house... is that... is that why you really called?"

"What?"

I can almost feel him wince. "I don't want to fight."

"Again, that's not an answer, Edward."

He releases a shaky breath, and I am thrown by his utter lack of arrogance and polish. It is as if I am seeing him naked in every sense of the word.

And the sight is frightening.

"I ask," he continues. "Because you are the first to call."

"What?"

"I mean, no one has. Not Esme or Carlisle." He sounds gutted by the admission. "Not even Alice."

"After the way you left without a word to anyone? What did you expect?"

"I know."

"No, you don't! You couldn't possibly know, Edward, because if you did, you wouldn't be surprised that I am the first to call. Because you would have remembered that when all is said and done, I'm the one in this family who gets shit done no matter what, and I refuse to let your little journey of self-discovery cost me the house I grew up in!"

"I'm sorry."

"Are you, Edward? Are you?! Is that why you haven't called Esme or texted Alice or done a single thing to prove that you still give a damn about your family?"

"I'm sorry!" His voice breaks. "I don't... I don't want to fight."

"You keep saying that."

"I know."

I pinch the bridge of my nose, already worn out... and not because of my brief spat of yelling. This conversation is going nowhere fast and doing nothing to change the fact that Bella is out of my hearing range and field of vision. And despite what little Edward has said so far, I cannot do anything to help Bella until this call comes to an end.

But something tells me that I cannot be the one to decide when or how that happens. And as Edward seems barely coherent enough to string a sentence together, I am back to having no idea what the hell I'm doing or how this could possibly work out.

 _Way to go, Rosalie. Way to go._

* * *

 **Poor Rose. She can't win for losing.**

 **Thanks for reading—see you Monday! XOXO**


	47. Chapter 47

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything in the Twiverse. I'm just playing around in** _ **New Moon**_ **with Rosalie.**

 **THANK YOU for being so openly supportive of this story. Of my three AU** _ **New Moon**_ **fics, this is easily the most heart-wrenching because it spans the part of the novel Stephenie Meyer described by only writing three months on three pages, the part of the movie where Bella just sits in a chair while life goes on around her. THIS is the story I am telling. And this is why it hurts so much.**

 **So if it's too much for you, I understand and respect your decision to read something else or to come back when the story is complete.** **Because this shit hurts, and there's no getting around it. We will get THROUGH it, but there is no getting around or glossing over it. I know many of you are so heartbroken with Bella, and I... I just want you to know I appreciate and share in your sorrow.**

 **Now onward... to Edward.**

* * *

 **What Have We Done?**

 **Chapter 47**

With a heavy sigh, I climb back into my tree, needing to see the Swan living room. The space is still empty, and Bella's phone is still in the chair where she dropped it. The fact that she hasn't come downstairs suggests she is falling apart upstairs, and it kills me that I can do nothing about it at present. We have come so far in the past 36 hours, but the way this phone call is going, all I can see is how far we have to go.

Yet I am still with Edward, his labored breathing proof not only that he is still on the phone but more so that something is dreadfully wrong. Vampires only breathe when our sense of smell is advantageous, so Edward's choice to do so is unusual.

Unless his environment demands it.

"Where are you?" I ask.

His voice is still gravelly. "Nowhere."

"Oh, is that the name of a new vampire resort?" He doesn't laugh at my joke, and I try again. "Seriously though, where are you?"

"Nowhere."

"That's okay." He probably doesn't trust me with the information, and given our history (and the way I just yelled at him), I cannot blame him for being cautious. "If you don't want to tell me, you don't..."

"I am telling you." He coughs again, his voice dropping. "I am nowhere that matters."

I don't know what to say to that, but he seems willing to talk, and that's a good sign. "Well, _how_ are you?"

"I'm not."

My brows knit in confusion. "You're not what?"

"I'm not anything. I am nowhere that matters and nothing to speak of."

He says this with such finality that alarm bells seem to clang in my head, demanding I provide assistance. The reason for his suffering is so bloody obvious that I want to shout it into his ear. And the need to share that reason is so strong that I clamp my lips shut, refusing to speak until the moment passes.

"Did I do the right thing?"

I sit up straight, my racing thoughts coming to a halt at his words. "What?"

"In leaving Be... Forks. Leaving Forks." His voice is barely audible. "Did I do the right thing?"

A stiff breeze could come along right now and blow me clean out of this tree.

That would make more sense and be less surprising than what has just happened.

I cannot believe Edward has spoken those words aloud...

Let alone to me...

Let alone in the form of a question.

"I think..." I whisper. "I think it only matters what you think."

He groans again, an echo of that earlier primal sound that tore me apart. "Do you think she's all right?"

I grab hold of the branch in front of me, gripping it for strength. Edward sounds as if he's talking to himself, the stars, and the universe at large, so I know he doesn't think I actually have an answer for him.

But because I do have an answer... have _the_ answer, in fact... my tongue feels positively aflame, an inferno threatening to consume me whole should I keep silent.

But a glance at the Swan's second floor reminds me that if I were to tell Edward the technicolor truth, I would betray my presence here and Bella's trust to boot. From the very start of the call, she had the chance to tell him she was on the line, but she didn't. Even after her moment of panic, she could have run upstairs, had a brief fit, then returned to the phone when she was in better control of herself.

But she has yet to do so, and the moving shadows behind her bedroom curtains suggest that for whatever reason, she has chosen to be away from the phone right now, to be away from _him_ right now. And knowing that, seeing that, I cannot tell Edward what Bella herself has decided not to say.

But there is always more than one truth to be told at any given time. And this time, there is one truth I will absolutely tell.

"Edward, you know Bella," I begin gently. "You know who she is, how she felt, and all you shared, right?"

His answering groan resembles a "yes."

"Then I... I think you already know the answer to that."

There is a terrible beat of silence when I fear he might have ended the call.

And then suddenly... spectacularly... he breaks.

The shock of Edward's unraveling is rivaled only by the depth of pain it reveals. He keens and moans like a wounded animal left for dead, and with each passing moment, my resolve to stay neutral crumbles a bit more.

He mumbles unintelligible nonsense between fits of waterless tears, and my previous urge to club or shake some sense into him is completely eclipsed by the need to comfort and soothe him.

"Edward..." I am on the edge of weeping myself. "Edward, please..."

"What do I do, Rose?" he whispers. "What am I supposed to do?"

 _COME HOME!_ my mind screams in response. _COME HOME NOW AND FIX EVERYTHING YOU BROKE, STARTING WITH YOURSELF!_

But I remember my conversation with Emmett, my realization about what Bella truly needs, and the clamor in my head recedes to a manageable murmur.

"Oh, Edward..." I swallow hard. "Honey, I... I think you know the answer to that one, too."

I brace myself for more tears, for a further erosion of his remaining sanity, and for a simultaneous text from Alice warning me of his next decision.

The decision that will make us all whole again.

"I will take care of your childhood home."

I am so stunned by the change in subject and tone, I can only blink at first. "What?"

"I will contact Jenks about the house. Take no more thought on that."

"Thank you, but..."

"You're welcome." His voice is flat and firm. "Please do not call me again."

And when he hangs up, it is my heart that breaks this time.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading—see you Tuesday! XO**


	48. Chapter 48

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything in the Twiverse. I'm just playing around in** _ **New Moon**_ **with Rosalie.**

 **Ya know...** **I'm starting to want you to know how this thing comes 'round right as much as YOU want to know how this thing comes 'round right, so I'm back a day early.**

 **Also... after being repeatedly (but lovingly?) admonished for not categorizing this as an angsty fic, I have added "Angst" as a category. I honestly thought "Hurt/comfort" was a better description because Bella is hurting, and Rose is here to comfort her. I get that the angst is centered on the issue of Bella's HEA with Edward, but for me, that's not the heart of the story, so that's not what I was thinking about when I described it. Does that make sense?**

 **Anyhoo, the designation is now there for all who will discover the story forthwith.**

 **Let's continue.**

* * *

 **What Have We Done?**

 **Chapter 48**

I stare at the silent phone, a cavalcade of emotion swirling inside me.

Why did he hang up so suddenly? Did he think my advice was dismissive or insincere? Was he embarrassed by his tearful outburst and its tangible vulnerability? Did he fear the sudden shift in our dynamic, the mutual tenderness we have never before displayed? Or was he just being Edward—a stubborn, frustratingly obtuse, assmunch of a man?

At this point, who can say?

My fingers itch with the urge to call him back, but I think it wiser to refrain. Not because he all but commanded me not to, but because I have been away from Bella long enough. She must be going out of her mind by now, and no matter what she asks or needs, she shall have it from me.

That much has not changed.

I tuck the phone in my pocket with a weary exhale and fly back toward the Swan house. The moment her tender heartbeat reaches my ears, I am dismayed but unsurprised by the accompanying tears. A nauseating sense of failure and futility churns in my belly, and I move faster, eager for it to pass.

I blur into the house and up the stairs, pausing just to knock on Bella's door. She sniffles through a response, and I push open the door, anticipating the worst.

Bella sits cross-legged in the center of her bed, clutching her pillow with trembling fingers. She rocks back and forth, muttering under her breath, and when I enter the room, she looks up, her watery eyes seeming to look right through me.

All of this I expect.

But it is the smile on her face that catches me off guard.

"Bella?"

She laughs. "Hey, Rose."

Seeing her like this—laughing and weeping at once—shocks me as if a snowstorm in July. Because she is equally bright and broken, both delighted and dejected, and my confusion could not be greater.

I manage only to repeat myself. "Bella?"

"I..." She swallows hard with another chuckle. "I thought I was crazy."

 _Was?!_ I want to say but opt for silence as she continues.

"I thought I imagined it all—him, us, _this_. I thought I imagined or exaggerated it all and thought... no, I _knew_ I was the only one like this, the only one this lost and shattered and lifeless. But now..." She takes a deep breath, wiping her damp face with her fingertips. "Now I know... now I know that he may have broken me, but he... he broke himself too."

I nod, still not trusting myself to speak.

"It kills me that he's hurting. It shouldn't... because he did this. _He_ did this to us. But it kills me to hear him so deadened. But it also... it also makes me feel... not 'better' but... better." She looks up. "Is that wrong?"

"Nothing you feel is wrong," I finally reply. "Because nothing about this... about any of this... is right."

Her half-smile falters but only a bit. "Thank you for calling him."

I look away. "For all the good it did."

"No, it was good, Rose. I mean it." And her gaze seems to mean it. "Whatever happened after I dropped my phone doesn't even matter."

"Do you want to know what happened?"

She is shaking her head before I finish my question. "That is between you and him."

I close my eyes, remembering how close he seemed to a breakthrough, and a rolling rage rushes through my veins. I clench my fists and count backwards from 1,003, but nothing helps.

"Damn him. I could just..." I stomp my foot with a muted grunt, dislodging a loose floor board in front of Bella's desk. "And now I'm tearing up your house."

"It's okay." Bella scoots off the bed and onto the floor. "It could probably use the makeover."

"Don't touch it!" My hand lightly grips her wrist before she can grab the wooden plank. "Wouldn't want you to get a splinter."

She actually smiles. "Good point."

I drop to a crouch and lift the board to inspect it for damage, nearly dropping it when Bella gasps.

"Oh my god..." She peers into the space beneath the floor board, her brown eyes shining. "Oh my god!"

"What are you..." I set the floor board aside, and when I see what she sees, I groan in exasperation. "Oh, you have got to be kidding!"

* * *

 **Pretty sure we're all on the same page now, hmm?**

 **Thanks for reading—see you Wednesday! XOXO**


	49. Chapter 49

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything in the Twiverse. I'm just playing around in** _ **New Moon**_ **with Rosalie.**

 **Well, it's almost Wednesday, so...**

* * *

 **What Have We Done?**

 **Chapter 49**

"What?" Esme cries over the phone. "What do you mean 'he left her stuff'?"

After our great discovery, I left Bella in her room, stomped downstairs, and am now pacing a furious trail in her backyard. Calling Esme was the only way I could calm down, but from the volume of my reply, I don't think it's working.

"I mean, he must have taken all of Bella's birthday gifts and anything else that would remind her of him and stuck it all under a floor board in her bedroom."

"All of it?"

"Yes! The stereo from us, pictures of them together, some CDs, the plane tickets..."

"He took her..." She cuts herself off with a huff. "But why?"

"Why has he done any of this?" I hiss. "Because he's a ridiculous, reckless, overly dramatic pain in our collective asses!"

"Rose..."

"And the kicker of it all is that he's not even happy! He's just as gutted and wrecked and miserable as...

"What?" Esme's voice hitches. "You've... you've spoken to Edward?"

 _Crap._

 _When will I learn to shut up?_

"Rosalie?" Esme cries.

"Yes? Oh, I mean, yes. I... I spoke to Edward."

"When?"

"Eleven minutes ago."

"Oh my god!" She goes into full-on maternal mode. "Well, what happened?"

I walk Esme through our conversation, doing my best to keep my annoyance at bay.

To my own ear, I am failing miserably.

"Wait!" she interrupts near the end. "He actually asked you what he should do next?"

"Yes."

"Oh, this is just wonderful!" She laughs, and I cannot help but compare it to the slightly maniacal version I hear from Bella upstairs. "You told him to go back to her, right?"

"Ummm, no."

Her dejection is immediate. "Oh. Then you told him to come home to us."

"I didn't say that either."

"You didn't say..." She gathers herself, but her frustration seeps through. "Well, why ever not?"

"Because Edward needs to come back because he knows it's the right thing to do, not because I yelled or guilted him into doing it. So I told him that he already knew what he needed to do. And that's when he told me he'd take care of the house, told me not to call back, and hung up on me."

Esme falls silent, and as the moments pass, I begin to fear her censure. Though she loves us all, Edward was her first child, the first boy she loved after losing her own son, and his absence affects her with particular acuteness.

And if I am the reason she won't see him soon, I will not be surprised if she is cross with me.

"Well," she says at length. "I surely didn't see that coming."

"What?"

"You becoming Bella's advocate and the one who best understands what she and even Edward need. It is the one good thing to come from all this madness."

I expect her observation to make me feel strange, and the bit about Edward does make me squirm a little.

But when I consider her words about Bella, all I feel is peace, a sense of rightness I haven't felt since... well, since I found Emmett.

And that is no light thing.

"Very well," Esme says. "And Alice needs to speak to you."

"What? Why?" Just like that, my peace evaporates. "What did she see?"

"Not like that, dear. She just wants to talk to you, sister to sister."

"Oh." As if the notion is less alarming. "Okay, sure."

As Esme passes the phone to Alice, I realize I'm about to have yet another phone conversation with a sibling I seldom speak to unless strictly necessary.

And I realize I need to change that.

"Rosalie?" Alice asks softly. "Do you have a minute?"

"Um, sure. Is everything okay?"

"Yeah. I, um... I think I should... I just wanted to say thank you."

"Thank you? For what?"

"For being bold and selfless enough to do what one of us should have done months ago." She sighs, and I can feel the weight her confession carries. "I didn't know where you'd gone at first. Didn't care, honestly. But yesterday when you decided to hunt down Edward and kill him, I saw you leaving from the Port Angeles airport to find him and realized you had to be in Forks. And if you were in Forks, then I knew you were with Bella."

"Oh."

She pauses. "I wasn't trying to be mean, you know, when I said I didn't care where you'd gone."

"I know." That's just how things are between us. "It's okay."

"And I wasn't watching your decisions. You have to believe that."

"I do."

"They didn't stop Bella from being injured at her party and didn't stop Edward from leaving, so I didn't see the point in looking at them anymore," she says almost to herself. "But your resolve to find Edward was so strong I couldn't avoid it."

"I get that."

"And once I knew you were with Bella, I... well, I have to admit I was furious."

That surprises me. "Why?"

"Because I should have been the one to go to her! I should have been the one who decided not to leave in the first place. The one to defy Edward, the covenant, and everything else that told me to go because... because I was her friend." Her voice cracks on the last word, and my heart twists in sympathy. "I was the one she trusted, perhaps even more than she trusted Edward, and I let her down."

"You didn't leave Forks by yourself," I say gently. "We all let her down."

"Yes, but you're the only one who went back! You actually went back to check on her..."

"To prove that you people were wasting your sympathy on someone who didn't need it." I rub my temples, weary once again. "I may have come back, but my motives were not selfless."

"Maybe not," she says gently. "But you're still there. And nothing matters more than that."

"That's what she says," I murmur.

"So thank you for going back, for giving this family the kick in the butt it needed. And thank you for calling Edward, for all the good it did."

Her latter words crush me. "So he hasn't..."

"Decided to come home or go to Bella? No. But I do see him calling Jenks before the end of the day."

"Well, that's... something at least."

"Yes, and if he can find the wherewithal to do something, then so can I."

"Yeah." I blink when I catch her words. "Wait, what?"

"You heard me! It's time to do what we should have done months ago."

"Which is..."

"What else?" she replies brightly. "We're moving back to Forks!"

* * *

 **I think about half of you just cried, "Well, it's about %$# ing time!"**

 **Thanks for reading—see you Thursday! XOXO**


	50. Chapter 50

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything in the Twiverse. I'm just playing around in** _ **New Moon**_ **with Rosalie.**

 **Soooo... amid all the cheers and tears about the Cullens' return to Forks, many were asking how many chapters were left in this story.**

 **(Skip this A/N if you don't want to know.)**

 **So as not to spoil it for those who don't want to accidentally see the number, I'll answer with a little word problem. Don't worry—it's simple! Take the number of this chapter and add it to which month of the year this is, and you'll have your answer.**

 **This isn't a spoiler because I actually gave that number at the start of the story, but I added new chapters and combined a some others and wasn't sure if that number would still hold true.**

 **But it has. So yay me.**

" **BUT HOOOOOOOWWWWW?!" I hear you wondering. "What about the HEA? What about Edward? What about Victoria? What about Charlie? What about EVERYTHIIIIIIIIING?!"**

 **(Man, y'all are dramatic, LOL!)**

 **And I will say what I always say—TRUST ME. I know what I'm doing.**

 **I know YOU don't know, lol, but finding out is the whole point of reading, isn't it?!**

 **Okay, back to Rose and Alice.**

* * *

 **What Have We Done?**

 **Chapter 50**

I stare blankly ahead at nothing, my mind a wall of white noise.

I know vampires have perfect hearing and recall, so I do not dare doubt my senses.

But something must be wrong. Because I could not have heard what I think I just heard.

"You're..." I swallow hard, finding it difficult to form words. "You're moving back to Forks?"

"Yes."

"All of you?"

"Yes! Well, all of us who are here." She snorts. "I don't know what that brother of yours is doing, so who knows where he'll end up if he doesn't manage to..."

"Alice?"

"Yeah, Rose?"

"You can't..." I choose my words carefully, not wanting to hurt her feelings. "I don't think that's a good idea."

"What?"

"I mean, I know you mean well, that the family wants to help, but I just don't think..."

"I hear you. I do. But just hear me out, okay?" She exhales gently, dropping her enthusiasm to a manageable pitch. "We will stay away from Bella—no calls, no visits, not even telling her we're back."

I rub my forehead. "But you know how fast news travels in this one-horse town."

"I do. So we'll stay completely out of sight. Carlisle won't return to the hospital, I won't go back to school, and Edward?" She sighs. "Well, I won't presume to speak for him, but I can tell you the rest of us won't go near her."

"Do you really think that would work?"

"Yes." She sounds so sure. "We'll move to another location in the forest, further away from the reservation line, and have no reason to ever leave that area. In fact, unless she decides she wants to see us, it will be as if we don't exist."

A shudder ripples through me, and I clamp my lips shut to avoid snapping at her.

There's no way she could know.

"So if the plan is to stay completely away from Bella," I say once I've regathered myself. "Why come back at all?"

"Because you're there," she says simply. "And you need us."

"What?"

"We're a family, Rose. We haven't exactly behaved like one recently, but we are stronger together, better together. And you are Bella's best friend now, maybe her best friend ever. So if you need to stay in Forks, then we need to be in Forks with you. For you."

Her words literally shut my mouth. Not only because she manages to surrender her former place in Bella's life without bitterness or jealousy, but because something much bigger is at play here.

The family has suddenly pulled up stakes for one of us before—usually for killing a human or to avoid someone from our distant past and that one time Alice had a reeeeally bad feeling about some small town in North Dakota.

Fargo, I think it was.

But we have always and only done so to escape potential danger.

So this decision to move back to Forks to just support me... just because they value me and something I am doing...

I don't know how to accept that.

"That's fair," Alice says, letting me know I have spoken that last part aloud. "I mean, I know I've given you a hard time over the years, chalking up your decisions to selfishness or just a desire to be difficult. And I'm not saying that has never been the case. That situation in Louisiana is a clear example if ever there was one."

I snort at the memory. "I will neither confirm nor deny that."

"But ever since I learned you were in Forks, I started looking back on our history, on yours to be exact. And I realized that what I have always seen as selfishness was really protectiveness. You have the heart of a lioness and want to protect what you love at all costs. And if that makes you selfish..."

"Then so be it," I hear myself say. "And I will never apologize for that."

"And you shouldn't have to. And I apologize if I've ever made you feel otherwise."

"You have," I admit without anger. "But this moment more than makes up for it."

"It does?"

"Yes. As long as you immediately change the subject."

"As you wish!" Her gleeful tone returns. "We will be leaving here tonight and will text you when we get to Forks. It will take a day or so to rebuild the house, but we'll also let you know where we'll be."

"Okay."

"So we'll see you soon, okay?"

"Okay. And Alice?"

"Yeah, Rose?"

There's too much I want to say and not enough time to say it. I thought my earlier conversation with Edward would be the strangest I'd had in the last decade, but this one might just edge it out.

Because I am actually looking forward to seeing her.

"Thank you," I finally say, hoping she understands.

"Thank yourself," she replies easily. "None of this would be happening without you, Rose. So thank yourself."

I tuck the phone in my pocket and look up at Bella's window, my heart clenching at the sound of her continued duet of laughter and tears.

 _I will thank myself when she's okay._

* * *

 **Thanks for reading—see you Saturday! XO**


	51. Chapter 51

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything in the Twiverse. I'm just playing around in** _ **New Moon**_ **with Rosalie.**

 **Sorry about yesterday! RL got in the way—but in a great way—and I ran out of time/steam.**

 **Y'all... this story reached 3,000 reviews last week. I am just FLABBERGASTED by your support for my Rose-Bella friendship story! So touched, so excited, so thankful for your reviews, recs, and reactions on Facebook. Your love for this story is the reason why I'm totally good with laying down my writing career for a while. Because if I've still got fic, then I've got the best part of writing—engaging with those who are engaged with my stories.**

 **THANK YOU FOR THAT.**

 **All righty. Let's jump right in.**

* * *

 **What Have We Done?**

 **Chapter 51**

I take my time making my way back upstairs. The news of my family's return to Forks is somehow less shocking than their reasons for doing so, and though my poker face is better than most, I fear Bella will be able to see right through me.

And I'm not sure she'll be able to handle the view.

There is no way on God's green earth I will tell Bella I even spoke to Alice, let alone that the family is returning to Forks. I know Alice means well, that they all do, and I believe they really think they'll be able to stay away from her until she's ready to see them.

But that's because they think it's a question of _when_ she'll make that decision, not _if._

And I don't share their confidence.

Do I think Bella will eventually want to see the family?

Yes.

Do I think it will be a happy reunion?

Not at first.

Or second. Or third. Or even fifth.

Ironically I'm the only person to whom she probably wouldn't have responded negatively even had I not made the decision to come to Forks first. For as foolish as I once believed she was, I know Bella had no illusions about my feelings for her back then and did not expect my fidelity. So my level of betrayal for leaving her would have been the least in the family by a long country mile.

And the bond we have forged in the past two days—which is insane to say on so many levels—has only widened the gap between her and my family. Alice seems to realize at least in part that Bella might feel abandoned by the family, but believing that and actually seeing Bella's pain up close and personal are two different experiences.

And I don't know if the family is prepared for that.

But what do I know? As I head back upstairs to Bella's room, I am pleased to hear the laughter has stopped, and I no longer sense her tears. But I have no idea what state she is in after having few moments to sit with the knowledge that Edward stole her precious things and hid them under the floorboard. I don't know how I feel about it, and I never even loved the bum.

So I lay my hand against her bedroom door and pray for the best.

(Yes, I pray. Let's not make a big deal out of it.)

I enter her room to find Bella on the floor with an array of photos strewn around her. I notice the plane tickets on her bed beside a CD case, but she is holding the busted stereo.

Well, staring at it, really.

"He took this out of my truck," she murmurs without looking up. "It was there when I pulled up to the house, right before our little walk in the forest, and when I tried to go to school two days later, it was gone.

"That's why I had to skip school that day—not because I didn't want to go without Edward or because I was too sick after falling asleep on the damp forest floor, but because I couldn't believe that while I was chasing him through the forest and losing my mind at the thought of him leaving, he actually took the time to double back to my house and do this.

"I mean, breaking my heart was stupid and immature and just as bad for him as it has been for me. But when I climbed into the truck that morning, I just sat there... staring at the space where my stereo used to be. Everything he'd said was bad enough, but this?" She turns the stereo this way and that, studying its lines. "It wasn't his to take, you know?"

"I know." I drag folded hands down my face. "I am so sorry, Bella."

She looks up, somewhat surprised. "For what?"

"For this." I indicate the mess on the floor with the wave of a hand. "For him, for all of it."

"You don't owe me an apology, Rosalie." She sets the stereo aside. "Not for this or anything else."

I sink onto her bed, my brain cramped in confusion. "But I have to apologize because I don't know what to do with this either."

"I do."

"You... you do?"

"Yes. Well, no, not really." She half-chuckles. "But I am starting to understand some things a little better. At least, I think I am."

"Oh." I can't quite make out her expression. "Well, that's good, right?"

She nods, tucking a hair behind her ear. "Because now that I can see things more clearly, I think... I think I know what needs to happen next."

"Bella, that's great news!"

She blushes. "You think so?"

"Yes." I slide off the bed and join her on the floor. "I'm really happy to hear this."

"And I am so glad you feel that way." Bella rests her hand atop mine and looks up. "Because I think it's time for you to go."

* * *

 **Yeah... I'm just gonna pretend she didn't just say that.**

 **(And I know that Bella ripped out her own stereo in canon. But I didn't like that idea, so in this story, Edward did it. #AUWritersPrerogative)**

 **Thanks for reading—see you next time!**


	52. Chapter 52

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything in the Twiverse. I'm just playing around in** _ **New Moon**_ **with Rosalie.**

 **W** **hat in the higgledy-piggledy was Bella talking about?! Let's find out...**

* * *

 **What Have We Done?**

 **Chapter 52**

Had Bella Swan just sprouted wings and flapped around the room, I could not be more surprised than I currently am. My brain cramps in confusion as I stare at her, my full concentration required to utter two words:

"You what?"

She doesn't blink. "I think it's time for you to go, Rosalie."

"Go? Go where?"

"Back to Ithaca, back to Emmett, back to your life."

"I don't understand."

"It's simple: You put your life on hold to help me get mine together. And... and I think you've done enough."

"Oh." Prickling discomfort tiptoes up my spine, and I fold my arms across my chest. "Is this because I didn't tell Edward to come back?"

"What?"

"When I was on the phone with Edward earlier, he asked me what he should do, and I didn't tell him to come back to you." I take a step toward her. "Is this your way of punishing me for that?"

Bella closes her eyes on a shaky sigh, and I immediately realize my mistake. I shut my own eyes, awash in guilt and a host of other unpleasantness

Maybe it is time for me to go.

"I didn't... I didn't know about that," she says slowly. "But I mean, it's not like I'm surprised."

"Right." I snort bitterly. "Because when has Rosalie ever done anything that wasn't at least a little selfish?"

"That's not what I..."

"And that's why you want me to leave—you're punishing me because I couldn't make Edward come home."

"Rosalie..."

"I cannot believe this!" I storm away, bracing my hands on the edge of her desk. "After everything that's happened in the past two days, I cannot believe you would just..."

"Rose." I feel her hand come to rest on my shoulder blade. "Stop."

I clamp my lips shut, shaking my head. I have never felt this angry and scared and uncomfortable in all my life. Two weeks ago, I didn't give three hard shits about Bella Swan, and now the thought of leaving her, especially with so many things unresolved, makes me want to tear at my skin in a blind rage.

I rub my temples, feeling as if I'm getting a headache.

"I'm not surprised by what you told Edward," she says slowly. "Because he needs to decide what to do on his own without being told."

"That's... that's why I didn't say anything."

"I know." I can hear her smile. "I know you were just looking out for me."

I turn to face her, my heart in my throat. "Then why are you sending me away?"

"Because you looked out for me."

"That doesn't make any sense! Bella, after that useless call to Edward, I was pretty much resolved to move into the garage at least until New Year's. And now that you've found all this stuff in your house..."

"Now that I've found all this stuff, I know it's okay for you to leave." She walks toward the window, gazing out into the night. "Edward said that after he left, it would be as if he never existed. And I believed that's what he wanted—to disappear from my life and erase me from his without a trace.

"But these..." She indicates the photos on the floor. "These prove we really happened and cannot be erased. And knowing that, I know I'll be all right on my own." She snorts to herself. "They also prove that he's a manipulative crapweasel whose ass I'd love to kick from here to Alaska. But he's my crapweasel to deal with, and if he ever finds the balls to show his face again, I know I'll be ready to do that too."

Yep. Definitely a headache.

"I fell apart when all of you left," she continues through my silence. "Because I wondered if my life with Edward had ever mattered to anyone but me. But you showing up and helping me find these things, I don't wonder about that anymore." She faces me with a bittersweet yet bright smile. "You changed everything for me, Rose."

I turn away. "You're giving me too much credit."

"Maybe, but it's my credit to give."

I relax my stance... but barely. "So you want me to just go back to Ithaca and my life with Emmett and the rest of my family, and what? Never speak to you again?"

Her face pales. "Is that what you'd want?"

"No!" I startle us both with my volume. "But how... how are we supposed to remain friends if we never see each other?"

"We became friends after I thought you were a hallucination. I'm pretty sure we can figure out the rest."

I clamp my lips shut to keep the news about my family's return from slipping out. I've already spoken out of turn—and out of pain—once in this conversation.

I'm not about to do it again.

"Are you sure you're going to be all right?" I ask instead.

"I'm sure. In fact..." She raises her arm and removes Emmett's bracelet. "I think I already am."

I fasten the clasp around my wrist, enjoying the familiar weight against my skin, and raise it to my nose. "Ugh, it smells like you."

"Good. Then maybe you won't miss me so bad."

I stare at her. "As if."

We descend the stairs at a human pace, neither seeming to know what to say. When we reach the living room, I grab Bella's phone from the chair where she dropped it and program my number into it. Bella takes back her phone and calls me, and I raise an eyebrow in her direction.

"Just making sure you didn't give me a fake number," she says.

Her ability to joke at a time like this makes me equally proud and uncomfortable, and I scan the room for a distraction. "We never plugged in the tree."

"You want to do the honors?"

"Why not?" I bend down to finagle the cord around the tree stand. "It's not like you have the coordination to do this without knocking down the whole thing."

"Don't make me set you on fire."

I stick the plug in the socket, and the room is instantly bathed in soft white light. With the furniture polished and the blanket of heaviness gone from the room, the effect is warm and breathtaking.

"Wow." Bella sighs as I come to my feet. "We did a really good job."

"I guess we work well together."

She looks at me. "Hopefully not for the last time."

I hold her gaze. "Definitely not."

The urge to hug her is strong enough to make me step back, folding my hands in front of me. Bella notices the movement and hugs herself instead.

"Will you tell them where you were?" she asks.

"They already know. Is that okay?"

"Sure." But I notice she hugs herself tighter. "As long as none of them shows up unannounced in my room in the middle of the night. That's our thing."

Her smile makes me smile. "I'll make sure to tell them that."

With nothing really left to say, we stand there in awkward silence. I cannot bring myself to actually say "goodbye," so I nod at her once more and turn away, muttering "Merry Christmas, Bella" as I close the door behind me. I don't know if she hears me or not, but she whispers a sincere "Thanks for everything, Rose" from behind the door, and I know she knows I heard that.

I blur down her front steps and across the street, finding myself back in my original position in my original tree within seconds. I am all for Girl Power and this hefty dose of self-confidence Bella Swan has recently acquired. Really, I am.

But if that stupid human thinks I'd actually leave her, she'd better think again!

* * *

 **Kinda sleepy and shaggy today, so please pardon any excessive mistakes.**

 **Thanks for reading—see you soon! XOXO**


	53. Chapter 53

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything in the Twiverse. I'm just playing around in** _ **New Moon**_ **with Rosalie.**

 **Thank you for all the well-wishes and support during my brief absence. Still not feeling 100%, but I missed my Rose. I missed all of you! So here I am.**

 **All right. Who's ready to climb in a tree with Rosalie?**

* * *

 **What Have We Done?**

 **Chapter 53**

I cannot tell you exactly why I'm still sitting in this tree.

That is, I cannot tell you why I haven't figured out another way to keep my eyes and ears on Bella without channeling my inner Tarzan.

Nor can I tell you how I will be able to stay in this tree for more than a few minutes without feeling guilty about it.

A flame of shame sparks to life in my chest, and I rub the tender spot, wishing I could so easily erase my discomfort. Barely a week has passed since my arrival in Forks, but the differences between the person I was then and the woman I am now are beyond startling.

They are downright paradigm-shifting.

It is no longer good enough to simply do what seems right to me—even considering my very real concern for those whom my decisions would affect. I am now compelled to put that concern ahead of my best judgment... rather, to filter those decisions _through_ that concern, and do only that which allows them both to be satisfied.

So the desire to keep tabs on Bella (though unbeknownst to her) and the need to respect her request for the space to make her own decisions have placed me in the most difficult of positions. I see no viable way to honor both urges, and neither of them even touch on the other issue which has my stomach churning.

Bella does not know my family is returning to Forks.

I know I could have told her... think perhaps I should have... but the words just would not come. She was so strong and so brave, and I could not bear to ruin that resurgence of self-confidence with the potentially unwelcome announcement that we would soon be not just friends but neighbors.

A few miles notwithstanding.

Bella and I have yet to have an outright argument, and although we spent scarcely two days together, that might be a record for me with a new acquaintance. Yes, she yelled and expressed annoyance at times, but I have never seen the full brunt of her rage. And if it turns out that she will be pissed at me when she learns what I've kept from her...

Then I'll guess I'll get to see what a pissed off Bella Swan looks like.

For now, I can only see what a relatively calm Bella looks like as she flits around the living room, adjusting tree ornaments and hanging the remaining decorations. A check of her watch sends her out of my field of vision, and I am stunned at the brief sense of panic I feel.

She may be ready for me to leave, but I clearly am not.

Shrugging off the thought, I catch the clang of pans and the opening of the refrigerator door and realize she's making dinner. After sticking something in the oven, she returns to the living room and clicks on the Christmas radio station, occasionally humming along to a carol or two.

Though her tone-deaf rendition of _Jingle Bells_ is reason enough for me to leave my tree, the way she gazes out of the window as she sings makes me smile to myself. Charlie's cry of delight when he comes home and sees the Christmas tree makes me smile a little more, as does the awkward but pleasant conversation he and his daughter have over dinner.

Especially when she refers to me twice as "her friend" and he doesn't object.

But hearing Bella fall asleep for the second time since I've been in Forks without screaming or waking up in terror makes me smile enough where I actually consider leaving my tree, running to a hotel in Port Angeles, and making myself presentable for my family's return to Forks tomorrow.

But I can't.

Not yet.

So I do what I have come to do best in this tree.

I watch and wait.

I watch as Bella awakens the next morning and actually has breakfast before she heads off to school. I check my watch no fewer than 29 times as I wait for her to return home, spending half the day reminding myself that hiding in a tree closer to her school is taking things a bit too far.

I spend the other half of the day telling the first half to shut the hell up.

I watch with relief as the rustbucket finally comes into view, noting the difference between her arrival at home just a week ago. She closes the truck door with sufficient force on the first try and seems proud of her efforts.

But before she goes inside, she stops on the porch and faces the forest. And if I didn't know her visual limitations, I would actually believe she was looking right at me.

I hold my breath from my perch on the branch, ready to spring into action at her first sigh of longing. I could pop up at her front door in about 20 minutes and ask for the rest of the oversized clothes from Renee. Or I could tell her that I didn't want to leave Forks without knowing if I needed to kick Lauren Mallory's ass for Christmas.

Or I could tell her that she's my friend and I'm worried that she's not as strong as she thinks she is and I can't bring myself to leave until I'm sure she's all right.

"You were such a bitch, Rose," Bella mutters, halting my train of thought. "A selfish, stuck-up bitch who was literally the stuff of nightmares. I can't believe I trusted you so much."

Her words cut me so deep I lose my breath, and I drop gracelessly to the ground, searching for the pieces of my broken heart. I should have known something like this could happen—humans being so fickle and all—but the reality of it is worse than I could have imagined.

"You were stubborn, unflinching, and the most intrusive person I have ever met." She sighs and shakes her head. "And if I had known I would miss this much, I never would have sent you away. Because I think that bitch has become my best friend."

As my eyebrows shoot up, Bella chuckles and heads in the house, and I feel my insides warm and solidify once more. I climb back into my tree with alacrity and reach my branch just as Bella plugs in the Christmas lights. Their soft glow ghosts over her face, and the sight of her smile makes my old soul whole.

I have become her best friend, and she misses me.

Bella Swan, colossal pain in my ass until a few days ago, misses me.

And as long as that's true, I am going to stay right where I am.

Until a tinkling chime in my pocket cuts through the silence and completely diverts my attention. Because without checking my phone, I know exactly what that sound means.

They're here.

My family is here.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading—see you again soon! XOXO**


	54. Chapter 54

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything in the Twiverse. I'm just playing around in** _ **New Moon**_ **with Rosalie.**

 **They're baaaaaaack! And so am I :-)**

 **Let's see what happens.**

* * *

 **What Have We Done?**

 **Chapter 54**

I know I just said I wouldn't leave Bella. Not for any reason.

But that was easier to say when my family was across the country and didn't know I was here.

It was even easier to say when Bella was a shaky, emotional mess who couldn't be trusted to bathe, feed herself, or feign any remote interest in the world around her.

But right now, Bella is inside the house on the couch snacking on popcorn and watching a movie. And right now, my family is a five-to-seven-minute run away from this very spot, having chosen to come back to Forks just to support me.

And if ever there were a good enough reason to leave Bella, this is it.

I fall to the forest floor once more and speed off, checking my phone for the directions Alice provided. None were needed, really, for the moment I was within a half-mile of them, I could smell them all.

My family, save one.

I blur into a clearing and were I so inclined, I would notice the foundation and framing of our new house. I would notice the assortment of familiar belongings strewn around the space, divided loosely by room and purpose.

But all I can really see... all that really matters... is the sight of the five of them, their golden eyes shining with joy and anticipation.

Alice. Jasper. Esme. Emmett.

Carlisle.

It seems strange that my gaze lingers on my sire longest of all when it is Emmett my heart most longs to see. But it occurs to me that Carlisle's face is the first I saw when I entered this life, but after my time with Bella, I feel as if I am seeing it, seeing him, clearly for the first time.

And the sight makes me fall to my knees.

In an instant, his arms are around me, enveloping me in a paternal love and acceptance I have not felt since the last time I saw my earthly father. Tearless sobs wrack my body, and I let them out, no longer able to contain myself.

"Hush, now..." Carlisle murmurs against my forehead. "Don't cry, sweet girl."

"Papa..." Just saying the word aloud brings a fresh round of tears. "I am so... I cannot bear to think..."

"Then do not think." He kisses my forehead and pulls back to smile at me. "Just be here. It is all I ever wanted."

"I..." I swallow hard, taking my time. "I love you. Thank you for saving me that night."

His golden eyes darken with feeling, and immediately Esme rushes to his other side. His bottom lip trembles, and it is her turn to hold him as he weeps. The three of us seem to collapse onto each other, decades' worth of emotion seeping from our eyes. How we managed to make it through those early years together is a mystery to me, but I see now in stark relief how difficult Carlisle's unwavering commitment to me, to his ultimate vision for our family must have been.

And I am left positively in awe.

A strong rush of air causes me to raise my head, and I catch Alice's gaze from her position across the yard.

"We are so glad to be back with you. All of us." Her eyes are also shining. "But Jasper... it's a lot for him to take all at once."

"I know." I try to smile, but the tears won't let me. "Tell him I missed..."

"He knows, Rose." She glances into the trees. "We all did. But that's over now."

She smiles softly before another gust of wind carries her away, and I come to my feet, aided by both of my parents. Esme squeezes my hand once, glancing behind her. "We'll give you some privacy, hmm?"

I nod at her as Carlisle kisses my temple, and they speed off in another direction. I close my eyes and take a deep breath, finally... FINALLY giving myself permission to look at Emmett.

And it is instantly more than I can take.

He is more beautiful than I remember, stronger than I ever imagined, and just the sight of him dries every sad tear I have cried since coming to Forks. His gentle golden gaze takes me in, his focus never leaving my face, and with human deliberation he slowly makes his way toward me.

I can only stand there and wait, too overcome to move or blink, and when he finally reaches me, Emmett cups my cheeks, rests his forehead against mine, and simply says, "Yes."

And in that word, I hear everything I need to hear and nothing I could ever live without. I wrap that word around every part of me, letting it knit us even closer than we were before. The desire to kiss him is nearly overwhelming, but after so much time apart, I think we both know we cannot do that yet.

Not if I am going to complete my assignment.

As if reading my mind, Emmett steps back. He studies my eyes, taking his sweet time doing so, and after a moment, he takes my hands.

"You're going back, aren't you?" he asks.

I bite my lip but do not blink. "Yes."

He nods, his brows furrowing a bit. "How is she?"

"Better, I think." It is my turn to frown. "But I'm just not sure yet."

Again he nods, seemingly debating with himself. At length, he sighs, his eyes darkening a shade. "Do you want me to come with you?"

I open my mouth to reply, but nothing comes out. _Of course_ I want him to come with me. Now that I've seen him again, I want Emmett to _everything_ with me for every moment of the rest of our lives.

But this moment is not about what I want. It's about Bella and what she needs right now. And even if I believe she would forgive me for spying on her in the forest, I don't know that she would be so generous if I also invited Emmett.

"I do want you to come." I rest my hand against his cheek. "But I don't think you should."

He nods, though I note the disappointment in his eyes. "I understand."

"It's not that I..."

"Hey." He shakes his head, covering my hand with his own. "I said 'yes,' right? So whatever you decide, whatever you need from me, that will always be my answer."

I close my eyes and rest my head against his chest, releasing a shaky sigh when he finally wraps his arms around me. I don't know how long we stand like that—could be an hour, could be a whole 'nuther day—but when the sound of Alice's whistling reaches my ears, I realize it's time to go back.

"I love you," I whisper into the crook of his neck. "And I'll be home soon."

"And I love you." He seals the promise with a kiss to the back of my cradled hands. "And when you get back, I'll be right here waiting for you."

I close my eyes and turn away, running back to Bella before I lose my nerve. Yes, I miss Emmett, and God, I hate the thought of being this close but this far away from him.

But I started this thing with Bella Swan, and I am not leaving until it's finished.

Whatever the hell that means.

* * *

 **YAAAAAY, the family's back! What did you think of their brief reunion?**

 **Thanks for reading—see you soon! XOXO**


	55. Chapter 55

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything in the Twiverse. I'm just playing around in** _ **New Moon**_ **with Rosalie.**

 **Awwwwww, you big-hearted softies! I was so touched by your tears at the Rose/Carlisle reunion... and I may have shed a few myself! This story has totally ignited my love for Carlisle—and watching that** _ **Twilight**_ **marathon last weekend didn't hurt. He was sooooo yummy in** _ **Eclipse**_ **!**

 **Man. I done lost my train of thought, so uh... let's just check back in with Rose, shall we?**

* * *

 **What Have We Done?**

 **Chapter 55**

For the next week, my vigil is long and uneventful. Bella goes to school each morning, even rising early enough for a somewhat proper breakfast for two of those five days. When she comes home, she pretends to do homework while watching television, makes dinner for Charlie, and one night actually calls Angela Weber and chats for a little while.

But at night, while she's sleeping, I try to give her some privacy and spend time with my family, helping them build the new house and pretending we're not all waiting for Edward to return.

And it works for a while. Jasper and Carlisle obsess over which side of the house makes the ideal spot for reading and silent contemplation while Emmett helps Esme select flowers for the window beds. Alice and I even bond a little as we select tiles for the oversized shower in the second guest bathroom.

But on the fourth night, the dam bursts, and Alice turns away from the laptop and looks at me with wide eyes. "So how is Bella, really? Does she talk about us? Do you think she'd mind if I bought her a Christmas present?"

The rest of the family chuckles at her eagerness, but I can feel how the entire house seems to hold its breath in anticipation of my response. And when they speed into the room during my pensive silence, the sight of their need breaks my heart.

"We don't mean to pry," Esme says as I look down to inspect my nails. "We just... it's so difficult being this close to her without seeing or talking to her."

"We are not asking you to betray her confidence," Carlisle adds. "But whatever you could tell us... well, it would keep us from imagining the worst."

I keep my gaze on my lap, wishing the bamboo floors would open up and swallow me whole.

I know what they want—they want to hear that Bella sent me away because she's perfectly fine and feels no resentment toward them and is so excited that they have moved back to town.

But the very fact that they have to ask should be proof enough that those things aren't true... well, the latter two anyway... and I don't have the heart to hurt them.

Thankfully, Emmett saves me the trouble.

"No more questions about Bella." He slips his hand into mine, squeezing gently. "We promised to stay away until she was ready to see us, and we will."

"But how will she get to that point if she doesn't know we're here?" Alice asks. "And how are we supposed to pretend she doesn't exist when she's the missing piece to our family and she's just so close to us?!"

Her voice rises in volume and intensity, and as I glance at her, I suddenly realize the problem.

"You can see her more clearly, can't you?"

Alice's brows furrow, and she nods tightly. "I'm trying so hard not to and have even concentrated on the future of the local flora to avoid seeing anything. But being this physically close to her... and having spent so much time in the past scanning her future for possible danger..."

"... it is as if she cannot help but see her," Jasper adds. "And the pressure of feigning blindness is very painful."

I rise from my position beside Emmett and take Alice's hand. "Don't give yourself a headache, Alice. If you can't help but see Bella, then see Bella. But don't act on or share what you see and don't ask me for clarity. I wouldn't feel comfortable..."

"I understand. And I am sorry." She looks down. "Maybe this move back to Forks wasn't such a good idea."

"Just because it's painful doesn't mean it's wrong," Carlisle says, smiling my way. "The fissures in this family are many and will take time and patience to heal. Returning here is step one, and we will get through the remaining steps, whatever they may be, together."

"Okay." Alice leans into Jasper's embrace, the lingering lines in her forehead proving how little she likes that answer.

"Come on." Emmett takes my hand. "I'll walk you to the boundary line."

To preserve Bella's sense of privacy, every morning I ask Emmett to drop me at the tree from which I called Edward and retrieve me from here each night. From the forest floor, Emmett can't hear or see Bella, and serving as my personal escort is the only way he would be willing to leave me. This separation is starting to weigh on both of us, but I cannot abandon my friend.

And I love my husband for understanding that.

He kisses the back of my hand as always, lingering a bit longer this time. I run my hand through his hair, my bottom lip trembling.

"You're doing the right thing," he says. "Alice is just... in a difficult position."

"We all are, and I'm the one putting us here." I groan aloud. "I should just tell her."

"Tell who what?"

"I should call Bella and tell her we're moving back to Forks." The words feel equally wrong and right when I say them. "Or at least call her to say Hi. After what we shared this weekend, it must seem weird that I haven't reached out yet."

"Do you think she knows you're still here?"

"I don't know. Bella has always been more intuitive than most humans, so I wouldn't be surprised if she did. But I heard her mutter yesterday, 'Remember what Rose said,' and she wouldn't do that if she thought I was still here, right?"

"Maybe." He smiles sheepishly. "I don't know her like you do."

"I do know her. And I also know leaving things as they are isn't good for her or us."

Emmett rubs my arms. "What do you want to do?"

"I want to kick Edward's ass."

"Besides that."

"I want to be a good friend to Bella." I look toward her house. "And I can't do that while keeping this secret. So this afternoon, I'm going to call and tell her the family is moving back to Forks."

"Okay." He takes my hands again. "Do you want me here when you make the call?"

I nod, craving his strength. "I'll text you when I'm ready."

"I will. I love you."

"And I love you."

Emmett runs back to the house, and as the sun rises that morning, I count the hours until Bella returns home from school so I can make my phone call. But I don't know what she's going to say when I tell her what's going on, so for three hours after her deathtrap of a truck returns to her house, I stare at my phone, more nervous than I've been since...

Well, since I grabbed her arm last weekend and she realized I was real.

But the longer I wait here, the longer Bella is in the dark about my family's return, and I cannot allow that anymore. So I flip open my phone and prepare to text Emmett to meet me.

But just as I'm about to send the message, a different sort of truck pulls onto the Swan's block, and my hackles rise the moment I see it coming.

Or should I say, _smell_ it coming.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading—see you soon! XOXO**


	56. Chapter 56

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything in the Twiverse. I'm just playing around in** _ **New Moon**_ **with Rosalie.**

 **Many correctly guessed who was in the truck.**

 **But when it comes to why... tsk-tsk. I mean, do y'all not know me at all?**

 **Let's check back in.**

* * *

 **What Have We Done?**

 **Chapter 56**

The friendship between the Swans and the Black family is practically a matter of public record, but seeing it up close and personal as the Quileutes park in their driveway is nauseating.

Or maybe that's just their natural scent.

(Seriously, I don't know how the Swans can stand it.)

The cruiser pulls in behind the truck a few moments later, and Charlie jumps out of the car with vigor. He and Billy Black exchange a long greeting, and I realize they probably haven't seen each other in months based on Bella's former catatonia.

And my gut twists with latent guilt.

Bella seems glad to see Jacob, and his interest in her is even greater. But their conversation suggests they are more like cousins than possible paramours, which relieves me greatly.

I may want to throttle my absentee brother, but that doesn't mean I want to watch some pimple-faced mutt drool all over his mate.

I am also relieved that Billy seems not to notice my scent. I shouldn't be surprised—he never phased as a young man, so his supernatural senses are greatly reduced—but I am grateful for the foresight to choose a tree a little deeper in the forest.

They head inside the house, and I am thrilled when Bella actually lets her father cook while she and Jacob sit in the living room and watch cheesy holiday movies. She confides her plans to get Charlie a new fishing rod for Christmas, and I wonder if her truck will survive the trip to Newton's Outfitters.

I'll have to check her engine tonight.

Or just buy her a vehicle from this century.

Dinner begins as a pleasant but fishy affair, and Bella politely fields Billy's questions about her life at school and college plans. She even manages to keep him away from more personal matters, giving non-committal answers and making harmless jokes at Jacob's expense.

But when he makes a point of saying he's glad she has finally gotten over her dangerous involvement with "that family," Bella is not amused.

"They're not here, Billy," she replies tightly. "So there's no need to bring them up."

"But weren't they so kind and friendly?" His tone is anything but. "The good doctor, his lovely wife, and their five, perfect children?"

"Dad, come on," Jacob groans with an apparent mouthful. "Can't we just eat?"

"You should listen to your son, Billy," Charlie says without humor.

"Just tell me this, Bella." Billy clears his throat. "Have you heard from any of them since they left town?"

"Actually." Charlie is the one who speaks. "Rosalie was just here."

"What?" Billy chokes out the word. "When?"

"Last weekend," Bella says.

"For what?"

"To see Bella," Charlie replies rather smugly. "And to help her put up the Christmas tree."

"Hmmm," Jacob mumbles, as he is still chewing. "I can't see her as a Mrs. Claus, but she'd make a scary-hot elf."

"Jacob!" Billy hisses.

"What?"

"You might be right about the scary part," Charlie says. "But she is loyal to those she loves, and there's nothing scary about that."

"Loyal?" Billy cries. "Is that why she let her 'brother' leave Bella to die in the woods? Is that why she and her 'family' abandoned Bella without a second thought and..."

A heavy palm slams down on the table, and everything comes to a halt.

"Billy, Rosalie is Bella's friend." Charlie's voice is low and taut. "She is a kind, respectable young lady who is welcome in this house anytime she wants to be here. And that, my friend, is the end of that."

Jacob tucks a chuckle into an awkward cough, and I sit a little taller in my tree as Charlie steers the conversation toward an old car Jacob is working to restore. His plan is doable—inelegant and pedestrian but doable—and I am actually sorry when Bella changes the subject.

Who knew the pup wasn't a total waste of fur?

Billy holds his peace for the rest of the night, and as he drives off with Jacob in tow, I don't bother growling as I otherwise might because I'm too high on Charlie's acceptance of my friendship with Bella. To have earned his trust after all my family has put his daughter through is no small matter, and I want to deserve it.

I want to preserve it.

And in the name of that preservation I remain in my tree, eyes and ears trained on the slightest shifts in the area around me. As night descends, I realize I never texted Emmett, and I do so immediately, explaining what happened.

" _Do you think you should call her now?"_ he replies.

" _I'll wait until tomorrow."_ I tell him. _"I think it would be too coincidental if I called her the same night she has dinner with the Blacks."_

I also decide to stay in my tree, just in case Bella has a bad night. I am honestly surprised she hasn't had a single nightmare or screaming fit since I left—because I spend my nights at home, I finally conceded to let Alice tell me if she sees Bella awaken with a terrified start. And while part of me is proud of Bella's progress, the other part is waiting for the other shoe to drop.

And around noon the next day, I am so busy watching and waiting for that proverbial shoe that I don't notice I have a visitor until the last minute.

So when I look down and see him standing there, it is my turn to think I'm hallucinating.

Not just because he looks like a sallow, sunken shadow of the broody boy I once knew—and he does—but because after wanting to see him for so long, it is difficult to believe this is actually happening.

That he is actually here.

"Edward?"

* * *

 **HE'S BAAAAAAAACCCCCKKKKKKK!**

 **And because I know how long you've waited for him, you'll get the next update soon.**

 **Like... really, really soon.**


	57. Chapter 57

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything in the Twiverse. I'm just playing around in** _ **New Moon**_ **with Rosalie.**

 **SOOOOO... is this soon enough? ;-)**

 **There's a lot to say right now, but Edward's here, so...**

 **I'll see you at the bottom.**

 **Trust me—you'll thank me in a minute! XO**

* * *

 **What Have We Done?**

 **Chapter 57**

Edward stares up at me with dangerously black eyes, his thick brows knit in confusion. "Rosalie?"

"Yes?"

"Rosalie, what..." His shock would probably be humorous under different circumstances. "What are you doing here?"

"In the forest or in Forks?"

"Both!"

"Well." I drop gracefully to the ground. "That is a very long story for a very different time."

He doesn't seem to hear me. "Did you... were you here when you called me?"

I fold my arms. "You mean when you hung up on me?"

He actually has the grace to look ashamed. "Yes."

"Yes. Yes, I was."

Though I would have thought it impossible, he pales further. "Oh my go... was she... did she hear..."

"No." The word slices through the space between us. "I am not telling you a damn thing about her."

"Okay." He holds up his hands, sighing heavily. "I don't... I don't want to fight."

"Why do you keep saying that?"

"Because I'm... I only have one fight left in me." He looks beyond me to the Swan residence. "And it will probably be the fight of my life."

The truth of that statement is rivaled only by my realization that he is in no shape to fight anyone or anything right now.

His smell alone would make Bella collapse in a dead faint.

"Did you come straight here from... wherever you've been?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Wh—?" He hesitates, clearing his throat. "Because you were right."

"About what?"

He meets my eyes. "I did already know what I needed to do."

Holding his gaze is too painful, so I wave at him with an errant hand. "So, what? You're gonna just go over there and knock on her door?"

"Yes."

"Just like that?"

"Yes!" He scrubs his face in frustration. "What difference does that make?"

"I'll tell you what difference it makes!" I blur into his face without conscious thought. "Because after everything else Bella has been through, she does not deserve to have you inciting her sympathy by showing up here looking and smelling like shit!"

Edward stumbles backwards, nearly falling over a felled log, and I realize how close I am to ringing his neck. His eyes widen as he mumbles an apology, his voice cracking with fear. Competing urges to help him and hit him return in full force, and I grip my hands so hard I think they might detach from my wrists.

Damn him. Damn this whole situation.

"You cannot go see her like that," I mutter.

"What?"

"You... you cannot show up at her door like that." I shake my head. "You just can't."

My phone buzzes in my pocket, and I yank it out, grateful for the distraction.

" _I can get rid of the family,"_ Alice's text reads. _"And I won't say a word. I promise."_

I clutch the phone to my chest, overwhelmed and relieved beyond words.

"What is it?" Edward asks.

I tuck the phone in my pocket as if he hasn't spoken. "Come on."

I blur past him toward the new house, and he follows but not as closely or quickly as I expect. It occurs to me that he is too weak to run at full speed, and I slow down a bit.

No sense wearing out the bastard before he gets the chance to see her.

"I'm sure you can figure out which room is yours," I call over my shoulder as we reach the front yard. "I'll wait here."

He comes to a stop beside me. "What happened to the other place?"

"That doesn't matter right now." I shove my hands in my pockets to keep from shoving him through the front door. "Go shower and get dressed. I will wait here."

He parts his lips to speak but changes his mind when he sees my face. He walks... yes, _walks..._ into the house and out of sight, and I release a groan to the heavens, frustration bubbling in my veins.

I know he's not trying to annoy me, that he hasn't been around the family in months and has missed... well, everything. And part of me is thrilled that he has returned to face what he did and accept whatever Bella deems appropriate to give him. Whether that be a verbal lashing, unconditional forgiveness, or corporal punishment.

I hope she enlists my help should she choose the latter.

But since he's been gone, Bella Swan has become my friend, someone as close to me as Alice or Esme. And knowing what he did to her... the state in which he so stupidly, selfishly left her... makes it difficult to rein in my rage long enough to help Bella get the very thing she needs most.

So if I am going to help her get that, then I need to stay calm and not allow Edward's very existence to tap dance on my last nerve.

Realizing he is in no condition to move at vampire speed, I take a seat on a stone bench Emmett carved in the front yard and close my eyes, trying to clear my mind. I don't think about anyone or anything... I just let the December breeze brush across my face, inhaling and exhaling the crisp, cool air. It is the closest a vampire can come to falling asleep, and I am grateful for the respite.

'Cuz this vampire is worn out.

"I'm done," Edward murmurs from behind me.

I turn around to find him cleaner and smelling much less objectionable than before. But soap and a change of clothes can't erase the pain in his eyes, the sickly color of his skin, and the fractured fragility in his every movement. The sight of him reminds me so powerfully of the Bella Swan I found upon my arrival in Forks last week that my fingertips tingle with renewed fury.

"I want to kick your ass," I growl through clenched teeth.

He hangs his head. "I know."

I take a step forward. "I _should_ kick your ass."

"I know."

"Dammit, Edward!" I grab him by the collar and shake him. "You'd better make this right with Bella or I swear on my love for Emmett I will make you rue the day Carlisle changed you!"

"I know, Rose." He looks into my eyes, resting his hands atop my own. "I know."

It is only then that I realize I am the one who's shaking, and I back away, covering my mouth with my trembling hands. Edward's gaze is both hesitant and grateful as he watches me, and I close my eyes, focusing on the breeze.

Again.

After several moments of deep, even breathing, I return to myself and open my eyes to find Edward watching me.

"You look different," he murmurs. "Lighter... or younger or something."

"Well, you look old. Older than you did before, I mean." I widen my stance, and he steps back. "But you did come back, which suggests you are also wiser. Wiser than a few days ago, at least."

He frowns. "I shouldn't have hung up on you."

"You shouldn't have done a great many things, Edward." I invade his personal space to smooth the sweater I wrinkled when I shook him. "But nearly everything can be fixed with time and patience."

He glances in the general direction of Bella's house. "We shall know in a moment."

" _We_ shall not." I drop my hands. "I am staying here."

"What?"

"I am staying here." My heart lifts at the admission, and I cannot help but smile. "Whatever remains is between you and Bella now. I needn't be a part of it."

He nods absently, looking at the ground. "I don't... I don't know why you were in Forks or what made you call me. But if you hadn't done that, I don't know that I would be here right now."

"You would have figured it out eventually."

"Yes. But at what cost to her?"

The catch in his voice makes me face him again, and I offer what I hope is a smile. "You're here now, Edward. Now go make it right."

He nods and turns to walk away, pausing after a few steps. "Rosalie?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you."

I am too stunned to reply, and without another word, Edward heads toward the Swan's house, his steps labored but determined. I stare after him until I can see him no more then I turn around to face our new home, secure in the feeling that my work is finally done.

Because someone else's has just begun.

* * *

 **So... I've got some news. Some bad and some not so bad.**

 **The bad news is that this is the last chapter of "What Have We Done."**

 **The good news is that the epilogue will be a multi-part mini saga called "UNDOING WHAT'S BEEN DONE."**

 **The better news is that this multi-part epilogue will be attached to this story, so there will be no new story to find or follow.**

 **The best news is that this multi-part will start updating ON MONDAY!**

 **NOW. For those with whom I've been chatting on Facebook, I haven't been pulling your chain all this time about ending this story in 58 chapters. That was really the plan up until a few days ago. For me, this story has always been** **only** **about the Rose/Bella relationship—their evolution as individuals and their journey to becoming sisters. Edward's role, though critical to any true** _ **New Moon**_ **story, was of tertiary importance.**

 **So his HEA with Bella was initially outlined and summarized in a brief epilogue, and I was totally satisfied with that. I figured some of you would be upset about that—okay, MOST of you—but my "defense" was this story is categorized as "Rose/Bella" for a reason, and I'd hoped you would respect that and come to appreciate this story for what it was.**

 **But as I started editing the prewritten epilogue this week, I found myself adding to the summarized story. I started seeing in detail what happened with Bella/Edward, Bella/the family, and even Rose/the family/Edward and wanted to show you everything I saw.**

 **But I didn't like the idea of just adding more chapters to WHWD because this next part feels like a different story. But I reeeeally didn't like the idea of starting a new story and calling it a sequel; that didn't feel right either.**

 **Hence "Undoing What's Been Done" was born!**

 **(You don't actually have to call it that, LOL! It just helps me to give this mini-saga a different name because it feels like a story outside of my original framework for WHWD.)**

 **So far I've written five chapters, and I think I have a few more in me, but don't ask me how many. Chapters are of varying length and all from Rose's POV.**

 **This coming mini-saga, then, is not completely prewritten because I'm basically rewriting the entire epilogue. So UWBD will likely update every three or four days. My kids start school next week, so it would be totally unrealistic to promise anything more frequent than that. But the end is planned and this story should conclude by the end of September.**

 **And then I'll cry because I'll miss these people and you precious readers so much!**

 **In any case, I am SOOOOO excited to bring this supersized conclusion to this beloved story. Bella deserves it, Rose deserves it, and most of all, YOU deserve it for being such amazing readers. Your hearty, boundless support of this story brings tears to my eyes and joy to my soul—THANK YOU.**

 **So if all hearts and minds are clear, I'll see you Monday with Part 01 of "Undoing What's Been Done." LOVE YOU ALL! XOXO**


	58. Chapter 58

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything in the Twiverse. I'm just playing around in** _ **New Moon**_ **with Rosalie.**

 **HAPPY MONDAY! I am soooo excited to begin this unexpected second-leg of this journey with you! Thank you for sticking with me and for getting this story to nearly 3,700 reviews—like, WHAAAAAT?! I am BLOWN AWAY by your love and support for my Rose... and now my Bella and Edward... and hope you like what's to come.**

 **A few of you asked how Rose can narrate a story which will surely contain private moments between Bella and Edward. Don't worry—I've got that covered. Chapter lengths are about the same from WHWD, but no drabblish chapters. You're welcome! :)**

 **So without further ado, let's get to the work of UNDOING WHAT'S BEEN DONE!**

* * *

 **Epilogue: Undoing What's Been Done**

 **Part 01**

I would love to tell you that the road back to forever is easy for Edward and Bella.

I would love to tell you that maintaining my friendship with her is equally smooth.

I would love to tell you that the changes unearthed by my fateful time alone in Forks are permanent and have a beautifully lasting effect on our family.

But I can tell you the only last of those three things is true.

Understand, Edward and Bella do find their way back to forever. And she still considers me her best friend in the whole world outside of him.

But getting to the place where both things were equally, simultaneously true is a story in itself. A story I have heard more than once. A story I have heard in so much detail from both of them—as I am, apparently, the only person either of them trusts enough to share their true feelings—I feel like I am actually there, even at times when I am not.

Now, where to begin...

Oh. Well, I suppose I need to begin at the second beginning.

That is, the moment Edward shows up at Bella's door.

*** W – H – W – D ***

Edward lumbers through the forest toward the Swan residence. His steps are steady but heavy, weighed down by more than the guilt lodged firmly in his heart. He knows he needs to feed—the black eyes staring back from his bathroom mirror were proof enough of that—but after so many months apart, he needs nothing more than to see her.

If he could just see her...

At long last, her house comes into view, and though he notices the lit Christmas tree through the front window and her rusty truck in the driveway, it is what he hears that brings him up short.

Her heartbeat.

The music of his life.

He falls against a nearby tree, feeling as if he might actually keel over. He closes his eyes, letting the familiar melody wash over him, attempting to restore him from the inside out. It travels a great distance through the shame of his departure and the uncertainty of where they now stand...

... and derails completely at a sudden realization.

He didn't hear it.

When I called him last week... supposedly while in Forks with Bella... he didn't hear her heartbeat.

"How did she do that?" He wonders aloud. "How did Rosalie keep me from hearing Bella's heartbeat while we were on the phone? And why was Rosalie in Forks with Bella? How... how did that even happen?"

" _That doesn't matter right now!"_ He can practically hear me shouting in his mind. _"Go make it right."_

"Right," he says to himself. "That doesn't matter now. I need to go make this right."

He waits for a passing SUV to clear the street before crossing to the other side and walking up her steps. Closing his eyes, he raises a trembling fist to her door and knocks three times.

*** U—W—B—D ***

Bella is in the kitchen when she hears the knock on the door. After acing a pop quiz in AP Biology—on which she guessed the last three answers—she had decided to reward herself with a double chocolate milkshake.

The Magic Bullet is on the counter, waiting to be used, and she'd smiled at it, remembering my face when Charlie showed up in the kitchen while we were making breakfast smoothies. Her smile faded at the realization that I hadn't called yet, and she wondered if perhaps she had exaggerated our closeness.

The knocking on the door then resumes, and Bella shakes me out of her thoughts, refusing to be morose. Her life is vampire-free for now, and she determines to learn to enjoy the respite.

And she does... until she opens the front door.

Bella blinks at the sight before her, confused by the tricks her eyes are playing. Because it looks like Edward is standing on her porch.

Which is impossible because he left her.

But it... it does look like Edward—the hair color and height seem the same, and the way her heart slams in her chest is also familiar.

But that's where the similarities end.

This Edward has black eyes—bottomless, lifeless black eyes—and his smooth skin has a sickly appearance, as if it is rotting from the inside out. The crooked smile is nowhere to be seen as this Edward's mouth has dropped open, and that perfect posture is now so curved and awkward, Bella is certain she is hallucinating.

For real this time. Not like with me.

"Bella?"

But then he speaks.

Just her name. Just once.

And the sound of it... though raw and ragged... breaks through the haze of her uncertainty, and in that moment, she knows to the very marrow of her bones that she is not hallucinating.

That in fact, Edward is standing on her porch.

Bella gasps, the sound causing Edward to flinch, and he clears his throat intending to speak again.

But before he gets the chance, Bella does something he does not expect.

Something, I note with no small measure of pride, she did not do when I was with her.

She slams the door in his face.

* * *

 **You didn't think I'd quit with the cliffies, did you? I can't just change up EVERYTHING, now can I? ;)**

 **Thanks for reading-see you in a few days! XOXO**


	59. Chapter 59

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything in the Twiverse. I'm just playing around in** _ **New Moon**_ **with Rosalie.**

 **Y'ALL... I am so JACKED (and blown away) by your support of this epilogue! I hope you love it as much as I love you all!**

 **Okay, so... let's see what's up with that slamming door.**

* * *

 **Epilogue: Undoing What's Been Done**

 **Part 02**

Bella and Edward stand on either side of the door, their eyes wide and confused.

But for very different reasons.

Edward cannot believe Bella slammed the door in his face. He fleetingly wonders if perhaps she didn't recognize him or had a muscle spasm of sorts. The human body is so frail, after all, and prone to unexpected, illogical activity.

" _Yes,"_ he thinks. _"That is an entirely acceptable explanation."_

For the alternative... the very possible and far more likely alternative... is unthinkable.

So he chooses not to think it.

Bella, on the other hand, cannot believe Edward just showed up on her doorstep. Not because she doesn't think it happened but because she just... she has no room in her mind for such an occurrence. She simply cannot allow that to be true.

Not yet.

So she slams the door hoping to buy some time to decide how to respond to his arrival. She has long since stopped imagining what she would do if this day ever came, and now that it is here, she is altogether unprepared to handle it.

So she doesn't.

At least, she tries not to.

But as usual, Edward does not cooperate.

He knocks again, slightly more nervous this time. "Bella?"

Without conscious thought, she flings the door open again, surprising him with her speed. Again he stares at her, his black gaze never leaving her face. The mere sight of him renders her useless, and she allows his stare, noting how often it dips to her mouth.

The corner of his own mouth ticks just upward, hinting at a smile, and Bella steps backward, causing him to advance. And as he parts his lips to speak, Bella takes her own step forward.

And slams the door again.

This same sequence—varying only in whether Edward has a chance to say her name before she slams the door—happens two or seven more times, depending on which version of the story you believe.

(I mean, yes, vampires have perfect recall, but Edward is half out of his mind, so I tend to split the difference and assume Bella slams the door three times before finally finding her voice.)

"I am not letting you in!" she screams through the door. "So you can just keep on knocking. Or go sit in a tree like Rosalie!"

Bella's refusal to see him coupled with the reminder that I have recently spent quality time in a tree confuses Edward to a point of paralysis, and he finds himself too confused and stunned to speak or move.

He doesn't recall how long he remains in that state, but it is long enough (apparently) for Bella to assume Edward has vacated her porch. So she flings open the door, expecting to find him gone, and when she sees him again, she reverts to her signature move when overwhelmed.

She screams.

Edward jumps, startled back to coherence, and wants to try to calm her down. But he hears the spark of interest in her neighbor's thoughts about the sudden commotion outside and her plans to come to the front door to investigate, so he prepares to make himself scarce.

But not before he says one last thing.

"You can slam the door in my face until it falls off the hinges." His voice is gravelly with emotion, and Bella falters slightly at the sound of it. "But I am not leaving. I am never leaving you again."

And with that, Edward blurs across the street, just as the nosy neighbor comes to the door. Bella waves at the neighbor with a shaky hand and retreats inside her house, closing the door with far less force this time.

It is at this point that my phone rings, and I am surprised to see Edward's name.

I click my tongue in sympathy. "That bad, huh?"

"Why were you in that tree?"

"What?"

He explains what happened with Bella—and I am equally proud and hurt to hear she slammed the door in his face—and how she mentioned my tree.

"What were you doing there, Rose?"

I consider not answering him, believing my time with Bella is a sacred secret between her and me and no one else's business. Especially his.

But he is so distraught and overwhelmed by the current state of things that I throw him a bone and tell him why I initially came to Forks and where I'd stayed upon arrival.

But when he asks me what I found when I got here, I quickly shut him down.

"You are focused on the wrong thing," I say not unkindly. "You told that girl you wouldn't go anywhere, so whether she opens that door tonight or three weeks from now, your sorry face better be the first thing she sees. The last thing she needs is you breaking the very first promise you've made since coming back."

"Since when do you care what happens to Bella?"

"You are focused on the wrong thing again." I huff. "Get your ass off this phone and put yourself where Bella can find you if she wants to."

So Edward camps out across the street from Bella's window, visible from the house only if you know where to look. And I know that because shortly after he hangs up, Bella calls me.

"Did you know he was coming?" she asks in lieu of a greeting.

From the tone of her voice and what Edward has just told me, I know she'll be pissed if I tell her the truth. But the thought of lying to her sickens me to my stomach, so I close my eyes and admit that I'd known he was coming because he showed up beneath my tree.

"Why were you still in your tree?" she asks in a dangerously low tone.

"Because... when you told me to go back home to my family, I'd neglected to tell you that the family was on their way back here."

And that's the first time Bella Swan hangs up on me.

I try calling her back, but before I can do so, Edward calls me again, petrified by the screaming, cussin' fit Bella is having inside the house. His name and mine pepper her rant, so he asks me a second time what has happened while I have been in Forks with Bella.

Once again, I refuse.

And that's the second time _he_ hangs up on me.

So I stay happily out of it for an entire sixteen minutes, during which Emmett and the rest of the family return home. Or should I say, _blur_ home. They have caught Edward's scent in the wind and all arrive within seconds of each other, demanding answers.

Once again, I refuse, but this time I have to quell a flare of anger.

"I am out of this now, okay?" Emmett stands beside me, and I siphon his strength. "Yes, Edward is back, and yes, he has gone to see Bella. But if you have any more questions about him or what he's doing, ask him yourself. The same holds true for Bella, if and when she decides to speak to any of us again."

"Us?" Esme frowns in concern. "Have you lost her too?"

"No," I say with more conviction than I feel. "But she isn't too happy with me right now, and I cannot say I blame her."

"But I can still see her as clear as ever," Alice says. "And with Edward back and his decisions ever affecting hers, I know my visions of either of them will only get stronger. So what am I supposed to do?"

"You, like the rest of us, are supposed to do precisely what Rosalie is asking," Carlisle replies, his golden eyes warming as he looks at me. "We are to leave Edward and Bella alone until they are ready to let us back into their lives. We are to love and support them from a distance and with appropriate deference to their needs. And we are to leave Rosalie out of it."

I lay a hand upon my heart. "Thank you, Papa."

"You're welcome. Now." He angles his head toward the house. "Alice, we have some wallpaper decisions to make. I do not want a repeat of that disastrous paisley from the drawing room in Ithaca."

Alice poorly hides her pout as she trudges upstairs behind our maker, and Jasper escorts Esme to the other side of the house to help her construct a modest greenhouse.

"And then there were two," Emmett murmurs before wrapping me in his arms.

"Mmm." I snuggle closer. "I could bury myself here and never come out."

"I know. But I also know you're full of it."

I pull back. "What?"

"You and I both know the minute Edward or Bella calls you back—and each of them will call you before the night is over—you will jump right back into their mess with both feet."

"Why on earth would I do that?"

"Because your loyal, stubborn heart is your supernatural gift, and part of that heart belongs to Bella and Edward, as a unit and as your brother and best friend. The thought of them hurting is killing you, and you won't be able to rest until they've mended fences."

I groan, gripping his arms for strength. "Those two are going to be the death of me."

"Well, lucky for you." He leans in and nuzzles my nose. "You're already dead."

* * *

 **Poor Rosalie. She's in far too deep to get out now!**

 **How we doing out there, kids? I know most of our attention is on Hurricane Irma—as well it should be—so I hope this little story offers some respite from that terrible situation. My thoughts and prayers are with all of you who live or have friends/family in that region, and I pray all of you stay safe.**

 **Have a great weekend, and I'll see you Tuesday or Wednesday with more! XOXO**


	60. Chapter 60

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything in the Twiverse. I'm just playing around in** _ **New Moon**_ **with Rosalie.**

 **Hello, again! Thanks for all the alerts and reviews on this epilogue. Back-to-school time is in full swing, and in order to keep my RL on track, expanding this summarized epilogue into a multi-part saga has to take a back seat. But I love this story—and all of you!—and will finish it in the next few weeks.**

 **But I did rather rush through the editing on this one, so please pardon any mistakes.**

 **Enough chit-chat! Let's jump back to the action.**

* * *

 **Epilogue: Undoing What's Been Done**

 **Part 03**

I bury myself in Emmett's embrace, wishing I could stay here forever. "I love you."

"And I love you." My phone rings in my pocket, and he chuckles. "And as soon as this mess is resolved, I'm whisking you away from here for some serious one-on-one time.

"From your lips to God's ears." He kisses me once more and blurs into the house to give me some semblance of privacy.

I glance at the phone, surprised by which of them has broken first.

Her stubbornness has been known to rival mine.

"Hey, Bella."

"You should have told me the truth, Rosalie."

I wince against her tone. "I know."

"I don't like liars."

"I know."

"I hope you do. Because if you're gonna be my bes..." She sighs, and I imagine her shaking her head. "If this is going to work, you have to always be honest with me."

"I know. I'm sorry I lied."

"Good."

She falls silent before taking a deep breath. "So the whole family's back?"

"Yes."

"Are they... are they the reason he's here?"

"Do you really want to hear that answer from me?"

"I..." She mutters under her breath, something about know-it-all vampires. "No."

"Okay, then."

"Well... I'm still mad at you."

"I know."

"And I do not want to see them. I don't want to hear from them, see them, or get anything from them."

"They know."

"Good. I'll call you later."

And when the phone goes dead, I actually smile a little.

*** U—W—B—D ***

To my surprise, Bella calls me again before Edward does.

To my even greater surprise, she does so at two o'clock in the morning.

She apparently can't sleep because of Edward's sudden return and his very real proximity to her home. And her nerves are on edge because she spent the greater part of the evening with Charlie, pretending everything was normal while secretly terrified Edward was going to knock on the door again.

"I mean, how would it look if the Police Chief gets arrested for assault the week before Christmas?" she cries. "Especially if he breaks his hand trying to punch Edward in the face!"

She's trying to whisper and is so anxious about the whole situation that I don't bother pointing out that unless Edward is deliberately tuning her out, he can still hear her.

She has enough to deal with as it is.

"Well..." I begin slowly. "If having Edward there makes you that nervous, then tell him to go away."

"What?"

"If you think it will make you feel better... or at least help you sleep at night... tell Edward to give you some space."

"Can I... can I do that?"

"Honey, it's your life. You can do whatever you want."

"I can do whatever I want..." She trails off, and I imagine her biting her bottom lip. "Right."

"Okay," she says so softly I can barely hear her. "I'm... I'm going to tell him now."

"Okay."

"Don't hang up!"

"I won't."

Bella sets the phone down, and I hear what must be the sound of her window going up. She clears her throat and whispers, "Edward?"

"Yes?" comes the immediate answer, and I am so relieved he has kept his promise.

She gasps, stunned by his quickness and alacrity, her heart hammering away as she speaks again. "I can't... You being here... I need you to go."

Confusion changes his tone. "Go?"

"Yes. I can't... I'm not ready to see you... or talk or... or anything. So I need you to go away."

"Okay." My heart pinches at the defeat in his voice. "But only because you're telling me to."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. Bella?"

Another gasp. "Yes?"

"The second you change your mind, I will come right back to this spot. I promise."

Her only reply is the creaking slide of the window shutting once more, and I note the shakiness in her breath when she comes back to the phone. "I did it."

"I know." I take a moment, unsure of what to say. "How do you feel?"

"I feel... good."

"Good?"

"Yeah. I feel good."

"Well... good."

"Right?" She chuckles rather breathlessly. "I can't believe I did that. I actually did that."

"You sure did." Though my heart aches for my brother's disappointment, I am really proud of my friend.

There will be time to examine those contradictions later.

"And you know what else?"

It is then I realize Bella is still talking... though a bit faster than before. "What's that?"

"I can't believe he listened to me. That Edward Cullen actually listened to _me_ , clumsy little Bella Swan with her brown eyes and fragile skin and beating heart and yummy smell. He listened to me, did exactly what I asked. And did it the first time without me having to beg or explain myself!"

I glanced at my watch. "So now you can try to get some sleep now, right?"

"It just felt soooo good to do that, Rose, you know? It felt so good to look down on him, tell him what I wanted, and watch him go."

The uptick in her heartbeat concerns me. "I can only imagine."

"And I watched him go, Rose. I watched him go. I stood here in this window, told him to leave, and watched him as he left. As he left me." She gasps sharply. "Oh my god, he left me. He left me, Rose! He left me!"

"Bella." I am already racing toward her house. "Honey, calm down. You don't want to wake Charlie, do you?"

"I can't believe he left me!" Tears creep into her voice as her teeth start chattering. "He just got back, and he left me already? Why would he do that, Rose? Why would he come back just to leave me again?"

"Bella..."

"I mean, I also told him to change me, but he had no problem ignoring me then! So why did he listen to me now?" She gasps again, groaning. "Oh god... my chest hurts. Ohhh, my chest hurts."

"Bella?" She must drop the phone because her breathing sounds further away. "Bella?!"

"Bella?" Charlie bursts into the room and clicks on the light. "Honey, what's wrong?"

"I can't..." She swallows hard. "I can't breathe..."

"It's okay, baby. I've got you." He plants a kiss against her forehead. "Come on. We're going to the hospital."

"Daddy, I'm sor..."

"Stop it," he chides her gently. "That's why I'm here. I'll grab your phone."

"Meet me there, Rose," Bella whispers too low for Charlie to hear. " _Please._ "

I close my phone and shut my eyes, my head throbbing with the sudden change of events. Alice has no doubt seen all of this, and I have no idea how to keep the family from trying to interfere.

Could things possibly get any worse?

"Rose?"

I open my eyes to find Edward standing in front of me, and my headache intensifies.

 _Yes. Yes, they absolutely can._

* * *

 **Poor Bella. Can't she catch a break?**

 **Poor Edward. He can't win for losing.**

 **And poor Rose. What ever will she do now?**

 **You'll find out Sunday—thanks for reading! XOXO**


	61. Chapter 61

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything in the Twiverse. I'm just playing around in** _ **New Moon**_ **with Rosalie.**

 **Hey, all! Not feeling all that great today but wanted to get this out to you. It's not excessively edited, so pardon any mistakes.**

 **Hope you enjoy! :)**

* * *

 **Epilogue: Undoing What's Been Done**

 **Part 04**

I stare at Edward in silence, needing time to gather my thoughts. Based on our location midway between our house and Bella's, his presence here confuses me. I'd assumed he'd gone hunting by now.

The matte blackness in his eyes certainly proves he needs to.

"Rose?" he repeats.

"What are you doing here?" I ask. "You promised to stay away until she changed her mind."

"I am!" He looks stricken. "I mean, I... well, I tried."

"You tried?"

"Yes, but..."

"But what?"

"I couldn't... I couldn't stand it." He rubs his chest with a grimace. "It hurt too much."

"Guess that pain wasn't a rabid mountain lion, then?" He shakes his head sadly, and I soften my voice. "Well... were you going back to her house?"

"No, I... I was trying to find a place close enough where I didn't hurt but far away enough where I couldn't hear her heartbeat." He looks at me. "But I caught your scent and the alarm in your thoughts and wondered where you were going."

I rub my forehead, closing my eyes. "Of course you did."

"Something happened. Something happened to Bella, didn't it?"

"Edward, you need to just..."

"You have to tell me, Rose!" His eyes widen as he comes closer. "I can't bear the thought of Bella sitting in her room sad or hurt or..."

"Edward." I hold up a hand, halting his advance and his words. "Stop."

I know Bella hasn't reached the hospital yet, but I do not have time for this conversation.

Especially knowing I absolutely cannot tell Edward where I'm going or why.

"I'm sorry, Rose." he murmurs. "I'm just... I'm just so sorry."

"Edward, listen to me." I take his hands in mine, waiting for him to meet my eyes. "I know you want to fix this."

"I do!"

"But you can't force Bella to be ready for that right now."

"I know."

"And you can't use me to find out what she obviously doesn't want you to know."

He looks away. "I'm sorry."

"And you really, really need to feed." I lay a hand against his face, his brittle skin making me shudder. "Wasting away is not going to make things better."

He nods, closing his eyes. "You're right."

I pat his cheek gently. "Of course I am. Now go back to the house and ask Emmett to go hunting with you."

He is already shaking his head. "He'll kill me."

"No, he won't. He has already promised that nobody gets to kick your ass before I do."

Edward snorts but doesn't move.

"Besides which, he wants you to reconcile with Bella as much as we all do." He looks at me then. "And he won't let you anywhere near her—whether she's ready for you or not—until you've hunted. Nobody will."

Edward glances in the direction of the Swan residence, biting his bottom lip. "You'll keep an eye on her?"

"She's my friend, Edward. And I always do right by my friends."

He stares at me, and I squirm under his inspection. "What?"

"I... I just cannot believe you and Bella are friends."

"Edward..."

"I know. I'm focused on the wrong thing again." His brows furrow. "Except maybe it's not the wrong thing. Maybe... maybe it's the rightest thing that has happened since I left Forks."

My heart clenches at his sincerity, and I suddenly want to hug him.

"Go. Emmett will take care of you."

"Okay. Thank you, Rose."

I nod, not trusting my voice, and watch him until he disappears from view. I text Emmett and ask him to take Edward into the mountains, and Alice sends me a text of her own.

 _Jasper dropped your car at the Swan house. I didn't say anything to him or anybody else._

I reply with my thanks and head to my car, my soul swollen. Once again, Alice has used her gift to help me help Bella... even as I know how much she wishes she were back in Bella's good graces... and I cannot believe how my family has rallied around me and around Bella by extension.

We may all get through this yet.

*** U—W—B—D ***

When I enter in the hospital waiting room, Charlie pops up from his chair, sighing in relief. "Thank God you're here."

"I wouldn't be anywhere else."

He rubs tired eyes, his voice ashen with worry. "She's in the back. It's only been a few minutes, but it feels like forever."

"I'll bet."

"She, uh... she told me she was on the phone with you when this happened. Do you know what brought this on?"

I try not to look away as I sift through the truth. "I, um... I think it may have been coming on for a while."

His eyes narrow. "This is about that brother of yours, isn't it?"

"It's not my place to say. But if it is, I also think it's more than that."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, Bella uprooted her entire life to give her mother some space, became the new girl in a small school in an even smaller town, fell in love, got her heart broken, and is still trying to figure who she wants to be when she grows up. All within the last year."

"Damn." Charlie looks away. "I hadn't thought of it that way."

"Oh, Chief. I didn't mean it like that." I raise a hand to touch his shoulder then think better of it. "I just think that with everything that's happened since Bella came to Forks, I'm not surprised she got a little overwhelmed."

Charlie looks down, sighing heavily. "I wish I could help her."

"You're helping her just by being here." He looks up, and I smile softly. "Trust me."

A nurse comes through a nearby set of double doors and waves when she sees Charlie.

"How is she, Lorraine?" he asks as we rush over.

"She's fine." The nurse smiles. "Just got a little overwhelmed."

Charlie glances at me, and I nudge him with my elbow. "Told ya."

"Can I see her?" he asks.

"She actually said she was expecting a friend." Lorraine looks at me. "Is that you?"

"Yes." But I am looking at Charlie. "Is that okay?"

"Of course." The color is already returning to his face. "I'm going to update Renee."

"And I'll be quick with Bella. I'm sure she'll want to see you soon."

Charlie reaches for my hand, squeezing gently. "Thank you for being here, Rosalie. Bella is lucky to have a friend like you."

I am touched in more ways than one. "Thank you, Chief."

He nods and releases my hand, pulling out his phone as he walks away. Lorraine leads the way to Bella's room, and I turn my attention to the girl herself, hoping I can continue to be the friend she needs, the friend Charlie believes I am, the friend who will help her help herself.

And the first step in helping my friend is going in there and finding out exactly what happened in her bedroom tonight.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading—see you later this week! XOXO**


	62. Chapter 62

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything in the Twiverse. I'm just playing around in** _ **New Moon**_ **with Rosalie.**

 **Hi, friends! Been really busy with back-to-school stuff, a mini cat-astrophe in the house, and a bit of physical/mental fatigue. But as I've said before, this story is complete... just in summary form at present... and though updates have been more weekly than semi-weekly, I will not abandon this story. So thanks for your support and patience.**

 **And speaking of support... did y'all really get this little darling of mine to 4,000 REVIEWS?! Seriously?! You all are AMAZING. Thank you!**

 **Lastly, I wanted to address some comments from my Guest Reviewers: To you, I'd like to say...**

 **1\. Hiya! Thanks for commenting :)**

 **2\. Rose can narrate the full story because she's a vampire with perfect recall and has heard both sides from Edward and Bella. I also think neither Edward nor Bella has the mental capacity to tell the story themselves, so they need a third-party narrator.**

 **And along those lines...**

 **3\. Re: Edward not hearing Rose's thoughts fully. My idea is that he is so lost, so thirsty, so Bella-focused, and just... so NOT Edward that he lacks the wherewithal (and possibly the ability) to fully hear what anyone else is thinking beyond a vague sense of it.**

 **Oh, and this isn't heavily edited, so pardon any mistakes.**

 **I think that's it. So let's check in with Rose at the hospital.**

* * *

 **Epilogue: Undoing What's Been Done**

 **Part 05**

I open the door to find Bella in her bed resting against a pile of pillows. As I shut the door behind me, she looks up, trying and failing to smile. "Hi."

"Hey."

"Good thing you were still in Forks." She runs her hands over the hospital-issue blanket. "Don't think you would be here yet had you been in Ithaca."

"Even I can't run that fast."

"Right." She nods absently. "So did you... I mean, is anyone else..."

"I'm here alone. Well, except for Charlie, of course."

"Do they know where you are?"

"Alice does, but she won't say anything. And Edward's hunting with Emmett," I add as an afterthought.

"Good. That's... that's good." She pulls at a loose thread in the blanket. "How is he? Charlie, I mean?"

"He's okay. Concerned but otherwise okay. He was calling your mom when the nurse brought me back."

"Good. I wouldn't want her to worry."

Whirs and beeps from the machines fill the room as I take a seat at the foot of her bed. "Bella, what happened?"

"Apparently... I had a panic attack." She looks up, and it hurts to see the shame in her eyes. "They're monitoring my heart as a precaution but... Charlie's going to freak out when he comes in here and sees me like this."

"Charlie will be relieved to see that you're calm and resting and not hyperventilating anymore." I hold her gaze. "I know I am."

"I'm sorry I scared you." She reaches for my hand. "But I'm really glad you're here."

"Me too." I give it a gentle squeeze. "Bella..."

"Yes?"

"I am so glad it was only a panic attack and nothing medically serious."

"But..."

"But a panic attack is no light thing either," I say carefully. "And I... I don't think we should just gloss over it."

She pulls back her hand. "What do you want me to say, Rose?"

"I'm not here to judge or make you feel bad. I just want to talk about what happened in your room."

"What is there to talk about? I told Edward to leave, and when he did, I flipped out." She snorts. "You probably think I'm crazy."

"I think you've been through a lot, and Edward showing up out of the blue is... it's even more to handle."

"I just couldn't believe he left me again. And the more I said it aloud, the more hurt and scared and angry and... oh my god!" She covers her mouth with both hands. "Do you think he heard me? I know I told him to go away, but with his stupid vampire hearing, he could probably still..."

"He didn't hear you."

She blinks at my tone, her hands dropping back into her lap. "How do you know?"

"Because I ran into him before I came here. He was deep in the forest waiting for Emmett."

The air rushes from her lungs, and her color slightly improves. "Oh, good. I wouldn't want him to hear that. Not to protect him or anything. I just don't want him knowing my business right now."

"And that's understandable."

"Is it? Because the thought of him not knowing my business or not being outside my house made me feel like I was coming apart all over again. It was like... I was angry at him for coming back because if he was going to do that, he shouldn't have left me in the first place. But I was also devastated when he walked away tonight because it reminded me of when he left before." She buries her hands in her hair, tugging lightly. "My god, I sound insane."

"You don't."

"No, I do, but that's because my life is insane. And the worst part of it is walking around feeling this way when no one understands why. My nurse, Lorraine? She came in all smiley and helpful and asked what had brought this on, and I just stared at her. Because I know I'm a terrible liar, but I obviously couldn't be honest and say, 'Well, I was having a hard time tonight because my vampire ex-boyfriend who abandoned me after his vampire brother tried to drink me on my birthday came to see me today, and I guess I didn't handle it very well.' The nurse had to wave her hand in my face to get my attention, and I was so embarrassed, I burst into tears again."

"Bella..."

"I don't want to be like this, Rose, to keep feeling this way. But what I can do? I'm not ready to see Edward, let alone talk to him about any of this. And talking to you helps, but..."

"It's weird because he's my brother and part of you is still a little pissed at me from before. I get it."

"But it's not like I'm trying to hold grudges or live in the past. I want to move forward, whatever that means, and get on with my life, whatever it will look like. But how can I do that with all this stuff stuck inside me that just oozes out all over the place whenever it wants?"

She looks so helpless and weary I just want to cry. "Maybe you could talk to someone. Not about the vampire stuff but maybe about everything else."

"But everything else happened because of the vampire stuff. Phoenix, my birthday, these last few months, tonight... none of it makes sense without the vampire stuff."

"Right." That was stupid of me. "Well... what about talking to Esme? She knows about all the vampire stuff, is a really good listener, and..."

"...and is another vampire who abandoned me, so I couldn't be totally honest with her either." The sharpness of her reply shocks me, and she must see it on my face because she looks away. "Besides, she's Edward's mother, and I wouldn't trust her to be neutral."

"Good point."

Bella falls back against the pillows with a sigh. "If only they had supernatural shrinks. I'd probably be their only client, but they'd make a fortune off the mess in my head."

"If only." And as Bella's words echo in my head, a brilliant idea follows right behind them. "Oh my god..."

"What?"

"You need a supernatural shrink—someone who doesn't know you but understands the particulars of your situation. And I know the perfect immortal for the job."

Her eyes narrow. "Who?"

"Carmen." At her blank stare, I continue. "She is a longtime friend of Carlisle's who lives in Alaska and observes a similar diet and lifestyle. You could talk to her."

"Why would I do that?"

"You said it yourself—a human therapist wouldn't be able to help without the full truth, and my family wouldn't work for a variety of valid reasons. But Carmen is a vampire who values human life but knows nothing about you or your relationship with Edward, so she would be totally impartial."

"But would... I mean, would she do that? Would she uproot her life and come here just to help me deal with all my crap?"

"It's not crap. And I know she would because she's done it before. With Esme."

Her eyes widen. "What?"

"Remember me saying that Esme helped me heal after my change? She was only able to do that because Carmen helped her. Carmen's husband, Eleazar, lived a very different life before they found each other, and she... well, Carmen believes in helping people get past their past. It's what she does."

Bella looks away again, and I take her hand. "This could be really good for you, Bella. And it may be the only way for you to really get all that stuff off your chest. And not for nothing, but I'm a little tired of this already."

"What?"

I sigh dramatically. "I mean, I care about you and don't mind thinking of you as my best friend and everything, but uh... it's been a whole two weeks of nonstop drama, and even an immortal girl with endless patience can only take so much angst."

She snorts. "Didn't realize I was such a downer."

I press the back of my hand to my forehead with a grimace. "You have no idea."

"You're a saint." A small smile tugs at the corner of her mouth, and she peeks up at me. "You really think it could work, Rose?"

"I do. But there's only one way to find out for sure."

"Right."

Bella looks down again, still holding my hand, and I marvel at the wordless, easy intimacy between us. I recall Edward's surprise at the change in my relationship with Bella and chuckle to myself.

Because no one is more surprised by all of this than I am.

"Then let's find out." Bella's soft voice brings me out of my thoughts, and I meet her tentative gaze. "Call Carmen."

* * *

 **How we doing out there? What do you think of Rose's idea?**

 **Time for a few recs. These are all WIPs that update regularly, like once a week in most cases, so give 'em a shot. Links are in my Favorites:**

" **CEREBRAL" by LyricalKris. Another gem from her endlessly brilliant mind: "Edward Cullen was just the competition—the only other neurosurgeon possibly as good as she was in three states—until the day Bella's husband landed on his table. She'd never liked Edward, but after he killed her husband, she hated him. Too bad he got in her head the same way he got under her skin.**

" **THE REC" by LiLJiLL4286. This unique and well-written AH story chronicles the adventures of an adolescent Bella and her friends at a local hangout called The Rec. According to the author, this is part one of the story and the second part will bring us back to the point where Chapter 1 begins—it'll make sense when you read the story. The summary doesn't do this story justice because this is such a great, fun read and is GROSSLY under-reviewed, so show it some love.**

" **A SERVANT WIFE" by shouldbecleaning. This story absolutely owns me right now. The summary, just like the writing, is perfect: "It certainly wasn't in his plans when he woke that morning but somehow, someway, Edward Masen left his farm one late spring morning to stock up on supplies with his children and came home with a new wife. Not a real wife, like the I'll love you to the ends of time kind of wife, but a servant who was also his wife on paper, kind of half of each."**

 **I think that's it. Thanks for reading, and I'll see you again soon! XO**


	63. Chapter 63

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything in the Twiverse. I'm just playing around in** _ **New Moon**_ **with Rosalie.**

 **Me again! I missed you guys so much that I wanted to update again today.**

 **Thank you again SO MUCH for all your support! I know I've been a fail on replies for reviews on this story, but just know that I read and cherish every one. They are the reason I will always write fic :)**

 **Small time-hop in this chapter. It's only a few days, but just be mindful of that.**

 **Here we go.**

* * *

 **Epilogue: Undoing What's Been Done**

 **Part 06**

Initially Bella decides to begin her work with Carmen after the holidays are over. She feels she can push through Christmas and New Year's without breaking down, and I support her desire to do so.

But when she calls me crying hysterically three days before Christmas during an airing of _Love Actually_ —for reasons I'm still not quite clear on—I suggest she call Carmen sooner than later. She and Eleazar have been staying with our family since the day after Bella's panic attack, and though Carmen has agreed to see Bella, she insists on waiting for Bella to initiate contact.

"If she cannot trust me enough to do that," she reasons, "then she will not trust me enough to be honest. And we will only waste each other's time."

So when Bella texts Carmen on Christmas Eve-Eve asking if they could meet at her place, I could not be more proud. Carmen readily agrees, but as I prepare to drive Carmen there, she allows me to escort her out of earshot of the rest of the family then places a hand on my shoulder.

"I am going alone, _cara_." She smiles gently. "Isabella and I need to establish an exclusive relationship. I am sure you understand."

"Of course." My smile is so fake I'm surprised my face doesn't crack. "That makes complete sense."

"Thank you for understanding." I hand her my car keys, and she squeezes my hand. "I will take care of her."

"I know. Thank you."

Carmen speeds off, and I watch her go with my heart in my throat. Tears prick my eyes, and I shut them tightly, feeling quite foolish for being so emotional.

"Get a grip, Rose," I mutter to myself. "This is what you wanted."

"It's hard to let them grow up, isn't it?" I turn around to find Carlisle standing there, his golden eyes soft as they watch me. "Believe me, I know the feeling."

"I don't..." I wipe my eyes. "I don't know what you mean."

"It's all right, Rose. I know why Carmen is here and where she's going now." I open my mouth to protest, and he holds up a hand. "And don't be mad at Alice because she didn't tell me. She didn't have to."

"Right." I release a heavy breath. "You were there when Carmen was there for Esme."

"Yes, I was. And for you to extend that assistance to Bella... that was a pretty selfless thing to do."

"Then why do I feel so strange about it now?"

"Because you're not used to sharing." At my confused stare, he chuckles. "You've always been a little territorial, and I've always loved that about you. It's... it's actually one of the reasons I thought you and Edward would make a good match."

He may as well have slapped me. "Are you kidding?"

"Not at all. Edward was lost and aimless, needing someone to need him. You were wild and reckless, needing someone to anchor you. Two sides of the same coin, I thought."

I snort indelicately. "Hurts to be wrong, doesn't it?"

"I wasn't wrong, Rose, not really." He comes closer. "How else could it be that you were the only one to reach out to Edward in the depth of his despair? The only one he really trusts right now because of how steadily you have cared for Bella? You may not be romantic partners, but the bond between you and Edward is truly unique and especially powerful. So when the two of you work together, nothing is impossible for you."

I turn away, staring off toward Bella's house. "I don't know about that."

"Rose?" a voice calls in the distance. "Are you out here?"

"Yes!" I call back, rolling my eyes at Carlisle's smirk. "What, are you clairvoyant now, too?"

"I just know my children." He leans in to kiss my cheek. "Remember, you're better together."

Carlisle speeds off just as Edward comes into view. I haven't been consciously avoiding him since the night of Bella's panic attack, but this is the first time I've actually seen him since then. Emmett said their hunting trip was successful—if only because he managed to get through it without hurting Edward—but that Edward kept asking him one question:

"What happened between Rose and Bella?"

Emmett declined to answer, of course, but warned me that Edward was unlikely to leave that stone unturned. And based on him seeking me out in the middle of the afternoon—while I'm away from the family—I think my husband may have been right.

Setting the reason for this encounter aside, I have to admit Edward certainly looks better. His eyes are more brown than black, and his skin no longer seems sickly. But his overall appearance is still hunched and haunted... and still so similar to the girl I saw pulling into her driveway when I first arrived in Forks all those weeks ago that it makes me ache.

"What did you see?" he asks.

I blink out of my thoughts. "What?"

"When you first saw Bella... what did you see?"

I scoff. "I see your telepathic talent has returned."

"Rose...

"Edward, stop." And I begin to recite the Psalms in Greek to keep him out of my head. "I'm not trying to be stubborn here. But I'm not talking to you about Bella."

"And I'm not asking you to." He approaches me with cautious eyes. "I just... I need to understand."

"Understand what?"

"How you of all people came to become her friend and defender."

I bristle at the "you of all people" part but quickly realize I don't have the right. Not in his version of reality anyway.

"So much has changed, Rosalie," he continues, his voice breaking a bit. "The family is glad to have me back, but I can sense their anger and confusion. My relationship with you is practically congenial, which is alarming enough on its own, and things with Bel..." He clears his throat. "Everything else is just a mess."

"I know. But I don't see how understanding my relationship with Bella will help you with any of that."

"It'll give me a place to start, a clue of how I might begin to repair what's broken between us."

"No, honey. It will only prove to Bella that she can't trust me and that you still have no real idea where you went wrong. And that isn't what you want, is it?"

"But that's not..." His shoulders droop. "No."

"No. You want things to return to normal, to have our family back intact and Bella by your side."

"Yes!" He practically cries the word. "That's all I want."

"Well, have you spoken to Carlisle yet? To Esme?" He shakes his head, and I sigh. "Well, honey, maybe you should start there. With the two people who have known you the longest and have proven time and time again that they love you no matter what."

"I can't do that."

"Why not?"

"Because I... I don't deserve their forgiveness."

"None of us deserve forgiveness, Edward. That's why it's the ultimate gift." I cross the space between us and raise his chin. "And they can't wait to give it to you"

He closes his eyes on a groan. "But what about Bella? What about the..."

"She already told you. When she's ready to reach out to you, she will."

And two days after Christmas, she did.

* * *

 **Sorry for the cliffie, folks. But you know how I am!**

 **Thanks for reading—see you later in the week! XOXO**


	64. Chapter 64

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything in the Twiverse. I'm just playing around in** _ **New Moon**_ **with Rosalie.**

 **Thank you for your patience. Been saddled with daily migraines/nausea this week, but I'm glad to get this to you.**

 **Bella reached out to Edward—yay! Let's find out why.**

* * *

 **Epilogue: Undoing What's Been Done**

 **Part 07**

I am in the parlor when Edward exclaims from his room on the top floor of our new home. Emmett pauses his tender massage of my right instep, chuckling to himself.

"To be continued," he says, setting my feet on the floor.

"What? Why?"

"I don't know what that was about." He kisses my forehead before heading out the door. "But with the way things are, I'll bet you're about to be drafted. I'll be here when you get back."

"Get back? From whe..."

"Rosalie!" Edward rushes into the room from the other entrance, his brown eyes alight. "We have to go."

"Go where?"

"To see Bella." He holds up his phone. "She's reached out!"

I cannot hide my smile at his enthusiasm, but I do not come to my feet. "But why do I have to come?"

"Because she asked for you!" He thrusts the phone into my face. "See?"

Sure enough, the first text message asks Edward to please meet Bella at her house. A second message adds "You should bring Rose."

"Come on!" He is practically vibrating in place. "It's been two minutes, and I don't want to keep her waiting."

"Okay, okay!" I slip on my boots and follow him out the door, filling my mind with a complicated aria to keep him out of my thoughts.

I am thrilled that Bella wants to see Edward; I really am. But the suggestion that he bring me along... that makes me more anxious than excited. One, because it means Bella has caught on to the burgeoning bond between Edward and me—a bond I haven't mentioned to her myself—and two, because of that, I wonder if she might have a few choice words for me as well.

The thought fills my belly with a lead ball of dread, weighing down my steps.

At length, the Swan residence comes into view, and although Edward and I are a few paces apart, we are seeing the same thing and come to a stop at the same time.

This I did not expect.

"What is Carmen doing here?" Edward asks in a low whisper. He turns to me when I don't respond. "Do you know?"

"I, uh... I have an idea."

I can feel his gaze boring into the side of my face but keep my gaze forward.

"Well?"

His tone makes me glare at him. "Is Carmen really the most important person on that porch?"

He blinks then shakes his head. "No. Not even close."

"Right. So stop focusing on the wrong thing and let's find out why Bella reached out. Okay?"

He nods, grabbing my wrist as I start to cross the street. I suppress an eyeroll, expecting him to raise another objection, but when I glance at him, I see his head bowed and his shoulders slumped. I don't know if he's praying or gathering courage, but whatever he's doing, it couldn't possibly hurt.

Edward releases me, and we walk out of the forest and across the street, both gasping when Bella comes into view. She is actually quivering, her lips clamped shut but not enough to disguise their tremble. Clad in a thick sweater and boots, I would think she'd be warm enough. But with a cool breeze blowing and current temperatures in the low 40s, maybe she should be wearing a coat.

"You're freezing," Edward exclaims when he notices. "Are you sure you don't want to go inside?"

Bella shakes her head. "No, th-th-this... this is f-f-f-fine."

Edward is incredulous. "But your hands are shaking."

Carmen looks at me just as Bella wraps her arms around her waist, and something occurs to me. "Edward..."

He pauses at the bottom of her porch stairs to glare at me. "Do you see this?"

"I do." It is my turn to grab his wrist to stop him from charging up the stairs. "But I don't think she's cold."

"What?"

I hold his gaze, dropping my voice where Bella cannot hear. "Bella isn't shaking because she's cold."

"Then why would she..." His words trail off as his eyes widen, and I release his wrist as he turns slowly to look at Bella again. Her brown eyes are wider than his, eyeing his proximity to the stairs, and she has moved closer to Carmen, her chest heaving with each accelerated breath.

"Oh my god." His shoulders slump, and he drags his broken focus back to me. "She's afr... she's afraid?"

"She's nervous," I clarify quickly, though we both know he's not wrong. "But she's also right in front of you, so don't keep her waiting."

He nods, straightening as best he can as he turns to look at her again. Their eyes meet, and I am entirely surprised neither of them passes out. A heartbreaking combination of fear, need, and pain thickens the space between them, and my soul sighs at the sight of it.

Carmen nudges Bella with a subtle clearing of her throat, and Bella nods, looking away as she slips a hand in her back pocket. She produces a folded piece of paper that rustles as she unfolds it with trembling fingers.

Edward gasps beside me, and I place a calming hand on his shoulder. Bella swallows hard, trying in vain to stop her hands from shaking, and Carmen whispers, "It's okay, _cara._ Just take your time."

Bella nods, glancing quickly at Edward, and begins to read.

"Edward, th-thank you for coming. This is h-h-h-hard for me to s-s-say, but it needs to be said. I'm gl-glad you have returned to Forks, but I'm not ready to hear why you left me, why you came back, or anything else from you. And I'm not ready yet because I don't... I don't trust you yet. I don't trust you yet and I don't trust myself around you yet."

Edward's sharp gasp causes Bella to drop her paper, and Carmen bends to retrieve it. I grip Edward's hand, waiting for him to respond in kind.

" _Hold it together!"_ I shout at him in my mind, but from his lack of response, I cannot tell if he's heard me.

"Sorry," Bella murmurs, licking her dry lips as Carmen touches her forearm in reassurance.

"It's okay," I reply with a gentle smile. "You're doing fine."

Bella nods but doesn't respond, dropping her gaze back to the letter as she continues to read.

"I'm not trying to hurt you by saying these things, but I want to be completely honest with you. I still lov..." She clears her throat, her heart rate doubling. "I, uh, I need some time. Time to think, to heal, and to figure out what I need. But as I take that time, I need to know you will still be here when I'm ready to talk." She holds fast to the paper but looks up at him with watery eyes. "Will you wait for me?"

Edward gapes at her with shining brown eyes, his lips trembling as he replies, "Yes. I wi—I will wait."

"Okay." Bella's gaze brightens briefly, tears spilling over her cheeks as she nods. "Thank you."

Before anyone can utter another sound, Bella clasps the paper to her chest and runs inside. Edward looks at Carmen who can only offer a small smile.

"I will see you at the house," she tells us both.

I nod at her, and she goes inside, the click of the door lock echoing around us like a thunderclap.

I feel Edward slump against me, and I steady him by the shoulders, shaking my head. "Not here. Come on."

I practically drag him across the street into the forest, and as soon as we reach the boundary line, Edward buckles and collapses in an awkward heap on the ground, burying his face in his hands.

"What have I done, Rose?" he cries between broken sobs. "What have I done?"

* * *

 **What indeed, Edward? What indeed?**

 **I know I said this story would be completed in September, but between my health struggles and RL responsibilities, that did not happen. But I'm thinking we have between three and six chapters left, depending on how much these characters want to reveal to me, LOL, so we should be good to land this plane this month.**

 **Thank you SO MUCH for reading—see you again soon! XOXO**


	65. Chapter 65

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything in the Twiverse. I'm just playing around in** _ **New Moon**_ **with Rosalie.**

 **FIRST: Praying for Vegas. Praying for Puerto Rico. Praying for us ALL.**

 **SECOND: Thank you for all the well wishes about my health. I'm at the very beginning of perimenopause—the women in my family start in their mid/late-30s—and I think the hormonal changes are to blame for the migraines. They're still present but most of them are of the low-grade variety, which is a blessing, but they do affect my ability to concentrate and get my thoughts to congeal.**

 **Which leads me to say...**

 **THIRD: A huge thank you for staying with me, especially with the slower-than-expected updates. I also really appreciate y'all continually recommending this story... I'm looking at you in particular, abbyweyr :) ... and supporting the direction I've chosen for Bella and Edward's journey to wholeness. Some have stopped reading because they're disappointed/dissatisfied with certain aspects of that journey—which is TOTALLY their prerogative as readers; I certainly stop reading stories when they stop tickling my fancy—so I really appreciate y'all who are still here.**

 **And on that note...**

 **FOURTH: Some are wondering if I can satisfactorily wrap this up in two or three chapters—which is all that's left—and the answer is YES. You've trusted me this long... don't give up on me now!**

 **OKAY, so if all hearts and minds are clear, let's catch up with Rose and Edward...**

* * *

 **Epilogue: Undoing What's Been Done**

 **Part 08**

Not gonna lie—I kinda want to hit him right now.

As Edward writhes on the ground sobbing tearlessly, I kinda want to grab him by the collar, shake him until his teeth rattle, and scream, "What have you done? What the hell do you think you've done, you moron?!"

But as he folds in on himself, his mindless muttering unintelligible even to my keen ears, I begin to see him not through the lens of my righteous anger but through the lens of reality. And reality reveals that despite his eighty-plus years on this planet, Edward is still an immature seventeen-year-old boy who has no freakin' idea how to be an adult...

Let alone be in a relationship...

Let alone be in a relationship with a human whose mind he can't read and body he wants to drain.

It would be so easy to stay furious, to judge and chastise him for his foolishness and for the pain he has inflicted on everyone involved. It would be so easy to stop blocking my mind and let him see exactly what he has done, exactly what I discovered and learned upon my return to Forks.

It would be so easy and wholly justified.

But as I watch him curl into the fetal position amid the frosty foliage, I remember how long it took me to finally accept Emmett's love, to believe I deserved and could handle it.

And Emmett was a human I chose to change so I could keep him forever... who became a vampire who fell in love with me on sight... and I still made him wait a decade before I would officially call him mine.

Did I really have the room to judge Edward for his version of stupidity?

I drop to my knees in answer, awkwardly wrapping myself around his quivering, blubbering form. "It's all right."

"She's... she's so..." His voice is barely audible. "And I... I made her... oh, god..."

I begin to rock him, smoothing the hair away from his face. "Shhh..."

"She almost... on her birthday, Rose..."

"I know."

"And all I could do was stand there and... because I wanted to..."

"I know, honey."

"I thought... I thought this would be better. I thought she would be better if we were apart." He raises his head, the agony in his eyes stealing my breath. "But she's not."

I shake my head sadly. "No, she's not."

"And now... now she can't even look at me." He buries his hands in his hair, yanking hard enough to loosen a few strands. "She can't even talk to me without..."

He falls silent, and I begin to rub his back in soothing circles. "I know it's hard, but..."

"Why was Carmen there?"

I pause in my ministrations. "Sorry?"

"Why was Carmen with Bella? I didn't think they knew each other."

"They didn't."

He pulls away, turning to look at me. "So how did that happen?"

"I think..." I clear my throat. "I think if you think about it, you'll answer your own question."

"What do you..." He gasps, his eyes almost comically wide. "Are you... do you mean to say she is _seeing_ Carmen? Like Esme did?"

I meet his gaze without speaking, and he drags a hand down his face. "Oh my god."

His tone makes me narrow my eyes. "Don't you dare judge her."

"I'm not! I just... was that your idea?"

"Does it matter?"

"No! I'm..." He turns away, rubbing his forehead. "I'm sorry."

I study the sloped angle of his back, the defeat in his shoulders.

"You need help, Edward."

"What?"

"You need help. Like, a lot of it."

He snorts without looking up. "I'm beyond help."

"No one is, but first they need to ask." I come to stand in front of him. "You should ask Eleazar."

"Ask him what?" When I don't reply, he looks up to find me staring at him. At first, he stares back blankly in reply then suddenly his eyes narrow. "No."

I fold my arms. "And why not?"

"Because I can't! I can't just go to him and..."

"And what? Admit what you did, what you said, and why?"

"Yes!"

"Why not?"

"Because I don't..." He shuts his eyes, rubbing the left side of his chest. "I don't want to talk about that."

"Ohhh!" I nod slowly. "You don't want to talk about it. Sure."

"Rose..."

"No, no. I get it. You were bold or boneheaded enough to do it, but now you can't own it? You made Bella and all the rest of us live through it, but you don't want to have to talk about it?" I stalk into his personal space, my eyes darkening with renewed fury. "You want Bella to trust you again, but you can't even admit what you did? How is she supposed to forgive you when you haven't even apologized yet?"

"How can I apologize when she won't see me?"

"Why should she see you after what you did?" I snap. My fury echoes around us, and I exhale a slow breath trying to calm down again. "Edward, look. It may not seem like it yet, but Bella is getting stronger, healthier. Whenever she's finished with Carmen, she won't be that same insecure, emotionally desperate girl who ate your crumbs and called them cake. And if you want her back, then you're going to need to be ready for her." I rest a hand on his shoulder. "Fate may have made you her mate, but only you can choose to become worthy of her. And if you're not willing to do that, then what's the point in waiting for her?"

He doesn't move or reply, and my patience begins to wane. "Edward..."

"No, you're... you're right." He doesn't turn around. "I should talk to Eleazar."

"Not about what Bella is doing with Carmen."

"I know."

"And not about how you were right to do what you did and everyone needs to just..."

"I know, Rose." He turns around, taking the hand that has fallen off his shoulder. "I know."

"Oh." I exhale through my nose, shaking off any lingering embarrassment. "Good. Then get to it."

Edward seeks out Eleazar as soon as we get back to the house, and they opt to speak in the privacy of the high mountains. With neither of them needing to eat or sleep, they stay away for several days. During that time, one year ends, a new begins, but nothing else seems to change. Carmen continues her work with Bella—who does not reach out to me the entire time—and the family struggles not to ask her anything about it.

(And if Emmett tells you I have the most difficult time resisting that urge, I will deny it till the rooster crows his last.)

I do know that Winter Break concludes a few days after New Year's, and Bella returns to school.

I know that because she texts me in surprise when she does not find Alice there.

" _I assumed she would be back,"_ she says, and I am stunned by how much I've missed her. _"Planned to rearrange my classes and everything."_

" _We promised to give you space,"_ I reply. _"And until you wish to see us, we will remain out of sight."_

Her answer is slow in coming, and I am hoping she will correct my choice of pronoun. But she eventually answers with only a simple _"Thank you,"_ and content myself with that.

And with the joy my family cannot hide when I read them her simple message.

"It's a small sign," Carlisle says. "But a positive one nonetheless."

But things become decidedly less positive for Carlisle when Edward returns a few hours later, his eyes wild and black. Eleazar trails in silently behind him, his expression impassive as Edward blurs upstairs to Carlisle's study, slamming the door behind him.

"I want to talk about Mother," he says without preamble. "About her death."

All of us are stunned—by his lack of manners, the question itself, and the pain in his voice when he asks. Edward has never spoken of Elizabeth Masen with anything other than distance and detachment, and to hear him ask why Carlisle didn't try to save her too is shocking.

But surprise renders all of us speechless when during Carlisle's explanation, Edward dissolves into bitter tears.

And as our patient patriarch comforts his first son and friend upstairs, it soon becomes clear to the rest of us what is going on.

"Uh-oh," Emmett mutters not-so-under his breath. "Looks like Pandora's Box has been opened."

* * *

 **Thanks for reading—see you soon! XOXO**


	66. Chapter 66

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything in the Twiverse. I'm just playing around in** _ **New Moon**_ **with Rosalie.**

 **HI! Thanks again for all the prayers and well-wishes about my migraines. They are still persistent, but I am handling them better.**

 **It's been more than a week since the last update, and I don't want to dilly-dally—or "Dilly, dilly!" as my favorite commercial would say, LOL—so let's just get to it. In my haste to get this to you, I haven't edited obsessively, so please pardon any mistakes.**

 **And just in case it's ever confusing, Carlisle and Edward are upstairs in his study. Everyone else in the house is downstairs in the living room, eavesdropping together. It should always be clear in context, but I just wanted to make sure.**

 **And to recap, Edward just asked Carlisle about Elizabeth Masen's death.**

* * *

 **Epilogue: Undoing What's Been Done**

 **Part 09**

At the sound of Edward's weeping, Esme flies into the house, her golden eyes wide with concern. I pat the space beside me on the sectional sofa, and she sinks onto it with a weighty sigh.

"I never thought this day would come," she says. "Especially after all these years."

"So Edward never asked about his mother?" Alice asks. "Not even before you came along?"

Esme shakes her head. "I also thought that was strange, but the more I learned about Edward and how he compartmentalizes things, the less surprised I became."

"His range of emotion right now is startling," Jasper whispers, his voice taut with awe. "I haven't felt this much from him since... well, since..."

"The night of Bella's party?" I ask. Jasper nods, and I force a smile. "Well, let's hope this situation ends differently."

"Amen, babe." Emmett rests his hand on my knee. "Amen."

Upstairs in Carlisle's study, Edward's tears have subsided, but his reply is peppered with sniffles. "I do apologize," he tells our sire. "I did not mean to interrupt."

"It is all right," Carlisle says. "This conversation has been a long time coming."

"And I thank you for waiting." Edward clears his throat. "Now, you... you say Mother was herself near death when she... when she asked you to change me?"

"Yes."

"How did she know about you?"

"Of that, I am not sure. Our interaction had been professional, and I was always so careful not to betray myself. Yet Elizabeth was quite certain of my ability—and willingness—to help you." He pauses a moment. "Perhaps a touch of your telepathy comes from her."

"What a lovely thought. Especially as that would be all of her I have left." Edward snorts, expelling a heavy breath. "Why didn't you change her, Carlisle?"

"Oh, son." Carlisle takes Edward's hands. "I didn't change your mother because... well, because she asked me not to."

I fist a hand against my mouth to hold in my shock, and Emmett squeezes my other hand. Esme looks as if her heart will break, and Jasper and Alice are holding their heads in anguish. Given the sheer range of emotions represented by this room alone, I imagine their gifts feel more like a curse right now and don't know how either of them can stand it.

Let alone Edward himself, whose entire world is shifting beneath his feet.

"Sh-she asked you not to change her?" Edward is incredulous. "Wh-why would she do that?"

"Because she did not want to live without your father," Carlisle replies gently. "And by the time I met the two of you, he was already gone."

"No, that..." Edward comes to his feet. "That doesn't make sense."

"Edward..."

"She would not abandon me for him." He practically spits the word. "Not that distant, stoic, unfeeling man I knew."

"People change over time," Carlisle replies gently. "So perhaps the man she expected to see in eternity was different than the father you knew."

Edward falls silent, and we all share a relieved breath, believing Carlisle has eased his burden.

"No," Edward says more emphatically. "Even if you are right and she wanted a heavenly ever after with him, why would she not want me with her? Why would she leave me to the care of a stranger, albeit a kind one, when she could have cared for me herself?"

Carlisle does not reply right away, and the longer he remains silent, the more uneasy we become.

"You are blocking me," Edward says tautly. "Why?"

"I... I cannot be sure if the truth will help or do you harm," Carlisle murmurs. "And the fear of further wounding you renders me quite speechless."

"Did Mother not love me?"

"What?"

"Did Mother not love me enough to want me with her?"

"No, that is not it," Carlisle replies firmly. "Elizabeth Masen loved you more than her own life. So much more, in fact, that she gave you up for the sake of the greatest good."

"But what does that mean?!"

"Edward, your mother left you here to find love."

"What?"

" 'A man shall leave his father and mother, cleave unto his wife, and become one flesh with her,' she said to me that night. 'This is my greatest desire, Dr. Cullen. That my boy may live long enough to have a chance to love and be loved by a woman who deserves him. And if I leave you with him, he will have that chance.' This, Edward, is the reason she asked me to change you and you alone."

"Oh my god," Edward and I say together, and tears spring to my eyes as I realize what Carlisle is saying.

"This is why I was so eager to offer Rosalie to you," Carlisle continues. "And why I was so disappointed when that plan failed. Why I hoped you might find felicity when you fled to Denali earlier this year and why I was so torn about your relationship with Bella."

Edward flinches but recovers well. "What do you mean?"

"She loved you so easily, so purely... yet with alarming recklessness. And your feelings for her, though equally strong, were no less unwieldy. Your relationship—rather, the manner in which you chose to conduct it—constantly courted disaster in the name of loving each other, and... at times, I could hardly tell if you were the best thing for each other or the absolute worst."

Esme gasps beside me, and her shock speaks for us all.

"When Bella escaped Jasper and Alice in Phoenix," Carlisle continues. "That decision terrified me. Not merely because she risked her life but more so because it revealed that when given the choice between giving into fear or trusting love, Bella chose fear. Yet I also realized how much of her decision was affected by your steadfast refusal to discuss changing her, being intimate with her, or any number of subjects about which a human-vampire mated pair should have honest, on-going communication. There was love between you, yes, but fear held greater sway. And that reality was grave enough to make me wonder if you were, in fact, truly mated."

"You..." Edward can barely speak. "You wondered if we were truly mated?"

"This is why I did not try to stop you in September. It was easy to hide behind the covenant and feign a desire to respect your wishes. But as I watched you grow sullen and withdrawn after Isabella's party, I realized you were resolving to leave. And I reasoned that if she were truly your mate, then you would not survive very long without her and would soon come home to take your proper place in her life. But the only way to truly know that was... well..."

Esme clutches her chest with trembling hands. "Oh, Carlisle..."

"It pains me to admit this," Carlisle says, and I wonder if he is replying to Edward's silence or his wife's reaction. "Almost as much as I loathe myself for truly believing it. But nothing pains me more than the glaring proof of how profoundly I have failed you in this matter."

"Failed me?" Edward speaks up. "Carlisle, surely you cannot believe that..."

"... that in leaving you to decide your fate with Bella on your own, I neglected my responsibility to guide you? That in forgetting your youth and inexperience, I gambled with not one but two tender hearts? And that in doing all of the above, I forsook your mother's dying wish and nearly cost you the chance to find the very love for which I changed you in the first place?" Carlisle drops to a crouch, looking a speechless Edward in the eye. "Yes, I absolutely believe that and more. I do not expect you to ever forgive me for what I have done, but maybe in telling you this, I can..."

"What you have done?" Edward cries. "I am the one who chose to leave Bella. I am the one who lied and let my fears ruin our lives. You have... you have only tried to give me the room to make my own choices, and I repeatedly made the wrong ones."

"But I let you make them!" Carlisle's whisper carries the force of a shout. "And for that, I must beg your eternal pardon for failing you."

"Never!" Edward throws his arms around Carlisle's neck and weeps afresh, his cries partially swallowed by Carlisle's shirt. "Never, father."

By now, the five of us are completely overwhelmed and undone. Emmett wraps his arms around Esme and me while we three cry together, and Alice and Jasper cuddle tearfully on the couch, rocking soundlessly. Months—and in two cases, years—of guilt, pain, and grief spill from our broken souls, and though we each likely cry for different reasons, our collective healing is no less profound or necessary.

I hear a door slam nearby and assume Eleazar has quit the house. His family in Denali is seldom prone to such emotional displays, so perhaps our sudden purging is too much for him to take.

Until I catch a familiar scent in the air and an equally familiar heartbeat somewhere behind me in the foyer.

"Well." Bella snorts aloud. "Here's something you don't see every day."

* * *

 **Well... I think the next one might be the last proper chapter before the epilogue to the epilogue. Yeah. I'm 94% sure that will be the case. But you've trusted me this far, right?**

 **Good! Then you've got nothing to worry about :)**

 **See you soon! XOXO**


	67. Chapter 67

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything in the Twiverse. I'm just playing around in** _ **New Moon**_ **with Rosalie.**

 **Hi there :) It's been a rough two weeks for me physically. Last week I couldn't shake the migraines, and this past weekend, I had another flare-up with my ongoing, yet-to-be-diagnosed numbness/tingling issue and had to go to the hospital. Hopefully my Neuro appointment this month will begin the answer-finding process, but I just haven't had the headspace or energy to write fiction.**

 **But I'm here now, so yay!**

* * *

 **And because it's been more than two weeks, here's the end of the last chapter:**

 _"When Bella escaped Jasper and Alice in Phoenix," Carlisle continues. "That decision terrified me. Not merely because she risked her life but more so because it revealed that when given the choice between giving into fear or trusting love, Bella chose fear. Yet I also realized how much of her decision was affected by your steadfast refusal to discuss changing her, being intimate with her, or any number of subjects about which a human-vampire mated pair should have honest, on-going communication. There was love between you, yes, but fear held greater sway. And that reality was grave enough to make me wonder if you were, in fact, truly mated."_

 _"You..." Edward can barely speak. "You wondered if we were truly mated?"_

 _"This is why I did not try to stop you in September. It was easy to hide behind the covenant and feign a desire to respect your wishes. But as I watched you grow sullen and withdrawn after Isabella's party, I realized you were resolving to leave. And I reasoned that if she were truly your mate, then you would not survive very long without her and would soon come home to take your proper place in her life. But the only way to truly know that was... well..."_

 _Esme clutches her chest with trembling hands. "Oh, Carlisle..."_

 _"It pains me to admit this," Carlisle says, and I wonder if he is replying to Edward's silence or his wife's reaction. "Almost as much as I loathe myself for truly believing it. But nothing pains me more than the glaring proof of how profoundly I have failed you in this matter."_

 _"Failed me?" Edward speaks up. "Carlisle, surely you cannot believe that..."_

 _"... that in leaving you to decide your fate with Bella on your own, I neglected my responsibility to guide you? That in forgetting your youth and inexperience, I gambled with not one but two tender hearts? And that in doing all of the above, I forsook your mother's dying wish and nearly cost you the chance to find the very love for which I changed you in the first place?" Carlisle drops to a crouch, looking a speechless Edward in the eye. "Yes, I absolutely believe that and more. I do not expect you to ever forgive me for what I have done, but maybe in telling you this, I can..."_

 _"What you have done?" Edward cries. "I am the one who chose to leave Bella. I am the one who lied and let my fears ruin our lives. You have... you have only tried to give me the room to make my own choices, and I repeatedly made the wrong ones."_

 _"But I let you make them!" Carlisle's whisper carries the force of a shout. "And for that, I must beg your eternal pardon for failing you."_

 _"Never!" Edward throws his arms around Carlisle's neck and weeps afresh, his cries partially swallowed by Carlisle's shirt. "Never, father."_

 _By now, the five of us are completely overwhelmed and undone. Emmett wraps his arms around Esme and me while we three cry together, and Alice and Jasper cuddle tearfully on the couch, rocking soundlessly. Months—and in two cases, years—of guilt, pain, and grief spill from our broken souls, and though we each likely cry for different reasons, our collective healing is no less profound or necessary._

 _I hear a door slam nearby and assume Eleazar has quit the house. His family in Denali is seldom prone to such emotional displays, so perhaps our sudden purging is too much for him to take._

 _Until I catch a familiar scent in the air and an equally familiar heartbeat somewhere behind me in the foyer._

 _"Well." Bella snorts aloud. "Here's something you don't see every day."_

* * *

 **Undoing What's Been Done**

 **Part 10**

Bella's presence here is certainly shocking to us all, but not quite as shocking as the fact that none of us realized she was here until she appeared in the living room. Our gazes dart around the room, confusion and incredulity bouncing back and forth, but I quickly realize the significance of what is actually happening.

Bella is here.

In our house.

And she came here on her own.

When I consider the courage that must have taken... and the fact that none of us has actually addressed her yet... I spring to my feet with a genuine smile. "Hey."

Bella blinks, as if surprised by my greeting, but doesn't respond. From the look on her face, I wonder if she realizes she spoke aloud a moment ago.

Probably not.

In my periphery, I notice the rest of my family staring at her in anticipation, hope and nervousness charging the air. Upstairs, my father and brother have gone completely silent as if they too are waiting for a sign, and I try to keep my expression calm so as not to freak Bella completely out.

"Sorry. We were having a moment." I take a step toward her. "So what brings you all the way out..."

"My truck." Her gaze is fixed on my face and that alone. "It's doing something weird, and I wanted you... I mean, I was wondering if you could look at it."

"Oh." I glance out the window as if checking the weather. "Sure. Let me just grab my toolbox and..."

"I don't think you'll need it," she says quickly, glancing over my shoulder. "Just... can you come? Now?"

"Of course."

"Thank you," she mumbles, turning back toward the front entrance. Emmett grabs my hand from behind, and his trembling touch nearly pins me to the floor. I know he expected more from her—that they all did—and watching her ignore them must be heartbreaking.

But she did come, and she's waiting for me outside. And as much as I want to nurse the wounds of my overwrought family, I must go. So I squeeze Emmett's hand, brushing my thumb over his knuckles.

"It'll be all right," I tell him, though the message is for the lot of them. "It will be all right."

I exit the house and find Bella still walking toward her truck, for she has parked it on the very edge of the property. As if she couldn't bring herself to come any closer.

"How did you know our new address?" I ask as I come within a few feet of her.

"Carmen," she replies without turning around. "I asked her for directions."

"Oh."

We walk in silence until we reach her truck, and I expect Bella to raise the hood, point to the tires, or climb in the cab to start the ignition. Instead she turns to face me with folded arms.

"Why didn't you trade clothes before Phoenix?"

My eyebrows shoot up. "What?"

"Before Alice and Jasper took me to Phoenix, Carlisle asked you to trade clothes with me to confuse my scent, but you refused." She speaks slowly and calmly. "Why did you do that?"

I sigh heavily, looking away.

Why did I do that?

 _Because I was selfish and aggravated and didn't think you mattered. Edward didn't love you enough to change you, and I thought it was stupid of me to try to save your life when the very act could result in death-by-Volturi for all of us._

This is the truth and the answer I cannot possibly give. Because the truth is ugly, raw, and shows without apology just how terribly I behaved toward her.

This is the worst of who I was, the proof that Bella has no business being my friend.

And it is exactly what I tell her because she is my friend.

Bella stares at me as I give my answer, her brown eyes cool and distant. When I finish speaking, she closes her eyes and sighs, the corner of her mouth lifting a little.

"Thank you."

It is my turn to blink in surprise. "What?"

"I mean, I sort of knew that already, based on our conversations before. But thank you for admitting it to me now."

"Oh." I have no clue what to say. "You're welcome?"

"I know it sounds dumb, but I've been exploring with Carmen what I want in my life going forward. There are a few answers to that question, some more difficult to achieve than others." She glances behind me toward the house. "But what I want most of all is honesty—no matter how harsh, awkward, or painful. Because truth is at the heart of trust. And if I can't have trust, then I don't want whatever might be left."

I hear the words she doesn't say but offer only a nod. "Okay."

"Okay." She offers a small smile. "Thanks for looking at my truck."

"Of course." I pat the hood of the ol' rustbucket, surprised it doesn't crumble beneath my hand. "Come back anytime."

She climbs into the cab. "Maybe I will."

Bella pulls out of the driveway, honking twice before disappearing in the foliage, and I return to the house to find my entire family gathered in the living room. They would have heard our conversation no matter where they were in the house, but their decision to gather here is significant. And when I couple that decision with the look on their faces, the collective reasoning is clear—they intend to wait for Bella to return, hopefully ready to talk again.

And one of them doesn't wait very long.

A week later, Bella shows up with a new stereo on the seat beside her and asks Emmett to come out and install it. As he works, she asks him why he didn't check on her after the family left Forks. Emmett tries and fails to explain himself, bursting into tears instead. He gets himself together and apologizes for the outburst and then for staying away.

"I knew better," he mutters tearfully. "And I should have done better."

"Thank you for saying and meaning that," Bella says, placing her warm hand against his cheek. "I forgive you."

Two weeks later, Bella calls Jasper for help with a Civil War project in her AP History class. Jasper has been feeding weekly in preparation for this moment, and when Bella asks if they can work in the library, he is more than ready.

Jasper is pointing out inconsistencies and outright lies in Bella's textbook when she murmurs, "I know you wanted to kill me at first, that you gradually came to accept me only because someone else made me his choice."

Her refusal to say Edward's name is telling, and I grip his hand in solidarity as we restore an old car in the garage behind the house.

"And at my disaster of party," Bella continues. "I know you were acting on instinct. I was bleeding, you were tempted, but you didn't really want to hurt me." She lays her hand atop his, causing him to look at her. "So I forgive you."

Jasper doesn't move or reply, and the entire family holds its breath. Bella waits him out for a few more minutes before closing the book and hoisting her bag on her shoulder. Just as she reaches the threshold of the room, Jasper whispers, "Thank you, Bella."

She turns back to him. "You're welcome."

As Bella leaves the library and enters the foyer, she catches a glimpse of Alice standing at the top of the stairs. Bella gasps and drops her bag, spilling its contents all over the floor, and Alice blurs downstairs to help her.

But as Alice bends down to pick up the textbook, something in Bella's expression stops her. Holding Bella's uncertain gaze, Alice backs away from the mess and stands aside, leaving Bella to gather her things alone. She does so with her head down, zipping up her backpack when finished.

She walks toward the front door, gripping the handle with more force than needed. "I'm... I'm not ready, Alice. Okay?"

"Okay."

Bella nods and closes the door, exhaling loudly as she heads toward her truck. And as she drives away this time, no one is sure when she'll be back.

All we can do is hope.

* * *

 **Okay, so... turns out there's at least one more chapter before the very last one. Hopefully y'all are still with me and still eager to see this thing through.**

 **Thanks for reading—see you soon! XOXO**


	68. Chapter 68

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything in the Twiverse. I'm just playing around in** _ **New Moon**_ **with Rosalie.**

 **If you're friends with me on FB, then you know it's been an even rougher few weeks. Had a few episodes with my pervasive body issues but no real answers yet. I actually had an episode just before my last Neuro appointment, so they sent me to the ER instead.**

 **The good news is that I wrote this chapter in one day, so despite my challenges, I haven't lost my way in this story. And I'm glad about that.** **But I don't really have the energy to edit this chapter—writing it was exhausting enough—so please read it with a kind eye.**

 **Bella has reconciled with Rose, Emmett, and Jasper. Let's see what she does next...**

* * *

 **Undoing What's Been Done**

 **Part 11**

About a month after her last visit, Bella calls, asking if she can speak to me alone. I blur out of the house and take a somewhat secretive path away from the house to my favorite spot in this part of the mountains. Out of earshot from the family, I ask Bella what's wrong.

"I need to..." She swallows hard. "Carmen thinks I need to speak to the rest of the family."

"Do you agree with her?"

"Yes. But I don't... I don't know how I can say what I need to say to them."

"I can understand that." The four remaining members of the family were the closest to Bella before we left Forks, and reconciling with them will certainly be a tall order. "And if you don't feel ready, then..."

"I am ready," she says quickly. "I mean, I... I think I am."

"That's a good thing, right?"

"Yes."

I feel like we're dancing around something obvious, and I hate myself for not being able to pick it up on my own. "Bella?"

"Yeah?"

"What's really bothering you?"

She sighs, and I imagine her flopping onto her bed. "I've never been mean to anyone before. And I don't think I can bring myself to hurt them the way they've hurt me."

I close my eyes, suppressing a sigh of my own. Knowing Bella as I do, this complication should have been obvious to me. And had it been so, I may have had a better idea of what to say.

As it stands, I am clueless.

"Carmen says that being honest doesn't necessitate being cruel," Bella continues. "And that any healthy relationship requires honesty. So if I can't be honest with someone, then maybe I don't really want that person in my life."

"Do you think that's what's going on here?"

"I actually think it's the opposite."

"What do you mean?"

"Rose... I'm afraid that I want them all back so badly that I'll minimize how much they hurt me by leaving. But I'm also afraid that if I tell them exactly what they did to me, I won't be able to forgive them. That talking about it won't make it better—it'll just remind me of everything I've tried to deal with on my own and make reconciliation impossible. And if those are the only two options, I'd rather not talk to them at all." She exhales loudly. "Does that make sense?"

"It makes complete sense to me." I take a seat on a nearby rock. "And if those were my only two options, I wouldn't say anything either. But there is a third option."

"Which is?"

"You could tell them exactly what they did to you, without minimizing it, and they could accept the truth of it and learn to deal with it. They could give you the room to learn to trust them again, and you could find that your relationships with them are stronger than ever."

"Yeah, like that could really happen."

"It already has."

"What do you mean?"

"Bella, do you realize who you're talking to? This is the same person who snarled at you from across the cafeteria and encouraged her brothers to kill you more than once. The person who literally wouldn't wear your clothes to save your life. Would you have imagined _this_ could ever happen?"

"Not in a million years."

"And we didn't even like each other when this all started." I soften my voice. "With everyone else, there's real love there to build upon. It may be buried under mounds of distrust and hurt, but it's there. And I think some part of you knows that."

She sniffles through a shaky exhale. "I do."

"Okay. So try to trust in that more than you fear what might happen."

"Okay."

"You know I love you, Bella." The words slip out, surprising us both. "And that won't change, no matter what happens."

Through her tears, I hear what sounds like "I love you, too, Rose," and my eyes begin to sting.

"I'm going to go now." I somehow manage to keep my voice steady. "You take as long as you need to do whatever you need to do next, and reach out to me whenever you want."

The lines goes dead, and I cover my mouth with shaky hands, sobbing for reasons I can't even explain. Having a human best friend is wreaking havoc on my emotions, and I wonder that I ever believed humans were weaker than we are.

Because with everything she's been through in the last year alone, Isabella Swan must be made of titanium.

*** U—W—B—D ***

The next time I hear from Bella, she summons me to her house.

And asks me to bring Carlisle and Esme.

A small crease of frustration forms between Alice's brows as we depart, but she says nothing, leaning into Jasper for support. I don't know which is harder for her—avoiding Bella's decisions or waiting for her turn to make amends.

Either way, I don't envy her position.

Carlisle lets me drive, and he and Esme sit in the backseat, hands clasped between them. The tension in the car is thick and inescapable, and out of respect for Bella, I say nothing to dissipate it. She is ready to speak her mind, and I shall leave her completely to it.

We arrive at the Swan residence and notice the front door is ajar. I wait a moment, just in case Bella has last-minute instructions for us, but the house is silent save her breathing and heartbeat.

"Okay, then." I offer my parents a small smile in the rearview mirror. "Let's go inside."

I expect Carlisle to lead us up the walkway, but he extends a hand, indicating I should go first. "She trusts you, Rosalie. I'm sure yours will be the first face she wants to see."

I nod to him and lead the way with more confidence than I feel. I've never seen Carlisle and Esme greeted with anything other than love and respect, and though Bella is far too polite to completely abandon the latter, I doubt we'll see anything resembling the former. The notion of that is uncomfortable enough for me to consider, so I can only imagine how Bella and my parents feel.

And now I wonder exactly whom I'm here to support.

We push open the front door, and Bella clears her throat. "In here."

I step into the living room, and its familiarity instantly calms me. That is, until I look at Bella herself.

She is standing by the mantle, her fingers tangled in front of her in a knot of nerves. Her gaze lands briefly on me before focusing its attention behind me... where Carlisle and Esme are standing in the hallway.

Bella gasps, covering her mouth with shaky hands as she stares at my parents. Her gaze darts back and forth between them, and it is a wonder the three of them don't collapse in an emotional heap. Their guilt and anguish is as evident as her dejection, but no matter how much they might want to apologize for hurting her, they have vowed not to speak until Bella has her say.

For her part, Bella has closed her eyes, her hands practically white with wringing. I almost want to take her hand, if only to get the circulation going again, but something tells me she needs to do this on her own. So I wait.

And begin wringing my own hands.

At length, Bella clears her throat and open her eyes, her gaze trained on the floor between them. "Thank you for coming."

Carlisle and Esme nod, but when they realize Bella hasn't noticed, Esme says, "Of course."

Bella looks up at the sound of Esme's voice, her brown eyes shining. Her bottom lip trembles, but she continues speaking. "Um, I wanted to... to talk to you both about... about um..." She drops her head into her hands. "I missed you so much."

"Oh, honey..." Esme rushes across the room and wraps Bella in her arms. "We missed you too. So much..."

Carlisle embraces them both, and I stand aside with stinging eyes as the three of them weep all over each other, their words as entangled as their limbs.

"I can't believe you left me..."

"It was the worst mistake of our lives."

"I thought you loved me..."

"We did." Esme pulls back and smooths the hair out of Bella's face. "We still do, so very much."

"Then why did you leave?" Bella steps back. "And why did it take you so long to come back?"

Carlisle and Esme share a knowing look, and I take a seat on the couch, earning a curious look from Bella.

It's not my place to say it, but this is going to take a while.

* * *

 **So yeah... we're looking at two more chapters before the very last one.**

 **Thanks for reading and your continued support—see you soon! XOXO**


	69. Chapter 69

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything in the Twiverse. I'm just playing around in** _ **New Moon**_ **with Rosalie.**

 **Finally had my neuro appointment on Thursday. Tests are all clear/negative, my health is otherwise almost perfect, and doctors have no answers. But I am a woman of faith above all else, and I believe that I am healed. I haven't had an episode in nearly a month, and my energy level has returned. Thank you for all your prayers and well wishes—they have surely worked, and I am walking in that confidence!**

 **Meanwhile back in Forks, Rosalie has brought Carlisle and Esme to see Bella, and they have some major explaining to do...**

* * *

 **Undoing What's Been Done**

 **Part 12**

Bella steps away from my parents to join me on the couch, her last question hanging in the air. Carlisle and Esme share a look, and he blurs out of the room to bring in a chair from the kitchen for his bride. Carlisle glances at Charlie's recliner then thinks better of it and retrieves another kitchen chair for himself. He sits beside Esme, and she slips her hand into his.

"This is..." Carlisle clears his throat. "This is difficult to admit to you, Bella. So I must beg your pardon in advance."

Bella nods. "Say what you need to say."

"When, um... when Edward's interest in you became apparent, I was cautiously optimistic about your potential future. Aside from your differences in age and physicality, your relationship seemed likely to court an inherent element of constant danger based on your... your, eh, emotional polarities."

She folds her arms. "I don't follow."

"You loved him so easily, so purely, yet with little to no regard for your own safety or future. And his feelings for you were just as strong and wild. The way you chose to love each other, it just..."

"Just what?"

Carlisle sighs. "It made me wonder sometimes if you were the best or the worst thing for each other."

Bella's eyes widen a bit, but her reaction is otherwise subdued. "I see."

"Consider your actions in Phoenix," he continues, and I feel Bella stiffen beside me.

"My actions?"

"You were so scared and overwhelmed that you ran away from Jasper and..."

She holds up a hand to stop him. "You think I left Alice and Jasper at the airport because I was afraid?"

"Yes," he says. "Why else would you face James against the explicit wishes of your mate and without the backup he provided?"

"Because my mother didn't deserve to die because I fell in love with a vampire."

"But Renee was never in danger, and had you taken the time to talk to Alice before..."

Bella comes to her feet. "Did it ever occur to you that I didn't talk to Alice on purpose?"

Esme gasps. "What?"

"James may have lied about having my mother, but Alice still didn't see his decision to meet me at the studio. She didn't see him calling my school or breaking into my mother's house, so excuse me if I couldn't trust her so-called sovereignty when my mother's life was on the line!"

Bella storms toward the window, and Carlisle watches her reaction in shock. Esme looks at me with questioning eyes, and I can only stare back in sympathy. Though I had no idea Bella's problems with Alice stretched all the way back to Phoenix, I did know they were deeper than her issues with everyone else except Edward.

"And why would that matter anyway?" Bella continues. "Even if I made all the wrong decisions in Phoenix and with Edward in general, none of that has anything to do with my relationship with _you._ "

Carlisle's eyes darken with shame. "You're right."

"I know my connection with you was based on my relationship with Edward but..." Her voice cracks, but she presses on. "I never thought you would leave me without a word. Either of you."

"I know." Esme rises from the chair, lacing her fingers together. "And you have every right to be angry with us."

"I am angry. Angry and hurt and confused. But more than that, I am tired. I am tired of being tired and afraid."

"That's why I left and didn't look back," Esme blurts out. "Because I was tired and afraid."

Bella turns to face her. "What?"

Esme looks at Carlisle, and he squeezes her hand in support as she continues.

"Bella, the night of your birthday party... it was the longest night of my inhuman life. After watching a simple paper cut turn into a... a chain of events that could have cost you your life, I couldn't convince myself that you were completely safe with us. As much as I loved you and saw you as my daughter, how could I ignore the fact that even with the best intentions, we couldn't fully protect you from our nature?"

Bella crosses her arms over her midsection. "I never asked you to protect me."

"Mothers don't need to be asked, Bella. It's an instinct ignited by love and fueled by ferocity. I wanted nothing more than for you to be happy and loved and honestly thought you could find that with Edward, but... but not at the expense of your life. And it was that logic... and only that... which allowed me to leave you in Forks without a word."

"And afterwards?"

"Afterwards, I kept that night in the forefront of my mind, that vision of you bleeding on the floor with my children fighting to either save you or sample you. I told myself you were safer without us, that you had to be better off without us and on your way to building the life of your dreams to make the pain of leaving you worth something."

Esme takes a deep breath, giving Bella time to blink back tears. "You said... you said you were afraid."

"Oh, yes. I was deeply and constantly afraid to learn I was wrong, that we were all suffering for nothing. Because if I discovered you were just as sad and broken as our family was, then I would want to see you and try to help you heal. But then that image of you on your birthday would fill my mind, and I'd realize what a danger we would always be in your life. And over and over again the cycle would repeat without respite or resolution."

"Is that why you decided to come back to Forks?" Bella asks shakily. "Just to end to the cycle?"

"Well, that..." Esme glances at me, and I suddenly realize what she's about to say. "That would certainly be an eventual effect, but..."

"But what?" Bella asks.

"Well, obviously our being here is Rosalie's doing and..."

"What?" Bella turns to me. "Did you tell them to come back?"

I shake my head and face her fully. "No."

"Then what is she talking about?"

"Remember... remember how you told me what happened that day in the forest?"

Pain flickers in her eyes. "Yes."

"Do you remember how I reacted?"

"You brought me breakfast and ran from the house. I don't know where you went, but you were barely gone a half hour, so I..." She searches my face. "Oh god, Rose, what did you do?"

"I, um... well, I ran into the woods, got into a fistfight with a mountain, and when that didn't sate my rage, I decided to hunt down Edward and rip him apart with my bare hands. But before I could make good on my plans, my phone rang. It was Esme."

Bella looks at Esme with narrowed eyes. "Why did you call her?"

"Because Alice said Rosalie needed me. But she didn't say why," she adds quickly.

Bella turns to me again. "What did you tell Esme?"

"I told her why I came here and what I'd seen since my arrival." I take Bella's hand. "But I said nothing to her or anyone else about anything you told me."

"You swear?"

"On my hatred for Lauren Mallory."

Bella's anger mellows, but she doesn't smile. "Is that the only time you spoke to Esme? Before they came back, I mean?"

"No."

She pulls back her hand. "When?"

"After you found your things under the floorboard." I fold my hands in my lap, hiding the sting of her rejection. "I was so pissed and confused that I had to call Esme to calm me down. And..."

"And what?"

"And during that phone call, I also spoke to Alice."

Bella jumps to her feet. "What?"

"Alice had asked to speak to Rosalie," Esme offers.

"Why?" Bella throws up her hands. "What did she want? Did she see something?"

I clear my throat. "Well, first you should know that..."

"Wait," Carlisle says, and I am shamefully grateful for the interruption. "I think Alice should speak for herself. This is a deeply painful and complex situation, but each of us can and should answer only for our own parts in it."

"Carlisle, I..." Esme glances at Bella with anxious eyes. "I don't know if that's a good idea."

Bella huffs. "Does that even matter now?"

"Honey, of course it matters," Esme says. "We would not want you to feel pressured in any way."

"Sometimes pressure is the only thing that moves you forward." Bella takes out her phone, but her face falls when she flips it open. "Or dropkicks you right in the heart."

"What's wrong?" I ask.

"I, um... The number I have for Ali—for her is disconnected. Whenever I tried to call her, it, uh... I couldn't get through."

Esme looks down, and I feel her sorrow all the way across this room. Thankfully she keeps it to herself, settling for gripping her husband's hand instead of apologizing as she likely longs to do.

Carlisle clears his throat. "Bella?"

She looks up warily. "Yes?"

He smiles gently. "Try it now."

* * *

 **The next chapter is more than half-written, but I hope you enjoyed this one.**

 **Thanks for the love and support—see you soon! XOXO**


	70. Chapter 70

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything in the Twiverse. I'm just playing around in** _ **New Moon**_ **with Rosalie.**

 **Surprise! :) I wanted to get this to you ASAP, so here I am again.**

 **While I'm here, I'd like to say something about the ever-expanding length of this here epilogue... a** **nd if you just want to get to the chapter, feel free to skip all of this, LOL:**

 **Initially I thought I'd be able to show a few scenes from the Great Reconciliation with the family then summarize the rest. And whenever I reached a point where I thought a summary would suffice, I would say, "Only a one or two chapters left before the epilogue to the epilogue."**

 **But the more I wrote, the more I realized such an approach would be disrespectful to Bella's pain, the depth of the Cullens' treachery, and also to the investment all of you have made in this story. And the more that happened, the longer this "brief" epilogue became.**

 **Also understand that when I started WHWD, I only cared about Bella and Rose and their relationship with each other. When WHWD ended, that relationship was intact, and I honestly didn't think I'd care enough about everyone else to see the reconciliation with Edward and the Cullens flushed out in full detail. But as usual, my own writing has proven me wrong, LOL.**

 **I still don't really want to say how many chapters are left because the Edward/Bella section is bound to make a liar out of me, but let's just say there are fewer than six, including this one. I would also love to promise to finish this story by year's end, but I won't do that either. I will just promise to keep writing until we're done and that you'll love how it all ends—how's that?**

 **And speaking of writing, I also now understand why SM chose to skip this part. My version of the reconciliation is already about 15,000 words, and I haven't even gotten to Alice or Edward yet. It's angsty, slow, and not terribly "fun" to read—I can't see how she could have done this part any justice in canon without sacrificing the pace/action of the story. The Cullens should have at least apologized for leaving and abandoning Bella instead of heaping all the blame on Rosalie for telling Edward that Bella was dead—yeah, I'm still pissed about that—but I definitely see the difficulty in fitting something so massive and painful in canon.**

 **(Plus, the omission has given me plenty to write about, lol)**

 **Anyway, just thought I'd explain ALLLLL of that to those who have been curious. Let's continue with the story.**

 **Longest chapter so far!**

* * *

 **Undoing What's Been Done**

 **Part 13**

Bella stares at Carlisle blankly but soon blinks out of her confusion and pulls up Alice's contact information with trembling fingers. As Carlisle puts his arm around Esme's shoulder, Bella presses the button and brings the phone to her ear. With three vampires in the room, there's no need to put the call on speaker.

Nor need we wonder how long it will take Alice to pick up. She answers midway through the first ring, her cautious optimism flooding the line. "Bella? Is that you?"

Bella gasps at the sound of Alice's voice and drops beside me on the couch. Her brown eyes tear as she covers her mouth with her hand, and Esme looks at Carlisle with as much anxiety as I feel.

"Bella?" Alice repeats. "Are you... Are you there?"

Bella's lips move without sound, and her free hand flops beside her until it finds itself cradled in my careful grip. She turns slowly toward me, and I silently ask her to breathe with me. She inhales and exhales slowly, matching my even rhythm.

As her heart rate regulates, I squeeze her hand once more. "You can do this," I mouth.

"Bella?" Alice calls again.

"You didn't before." Bella grinds out.

"What did you say?"

"You never answered my calls before. My calls or my emails. Why?"

A long beat passes before Alice whispers, "I... I couldn't talk to you."

"Why not?"

"Because it was too hard."

Bella's voice tightens. "It was too hard?"

"Yes."

"For you to talk to me?"

"Yes."

"Hmm." Bella pulls her hand from mine to run it through her hair. "You left me behind... you, the one who repeatedly swore we would be best friends forever... and showed no interest in my wellbeing until Rosalie had already done the hard work for you. And your excuse for all of that is that talking to me would have been _too hard for you?!"_

"Yes."

"How can you say that?"

"Because it's true." Alice's voice shakes, but she is keeping an admirable lid on her emotions. "And of everything you need, everything I owe you, the truth has to be the start."

"Oh, now you care about what I need."

"I always did."

"Right. I guess that's why you threw that party against my wishes."

Alice gasps as Bella's words pierce the air, rendering all of us speechless.

"What about that, Alice?" she continues. "If you always cared so much about what I needed, why did you throw me that damn party when I said I didn't want one?"

"Because I... I've noticed the way you see yourself, Bella. How plain and ordinary you think you are, and I wanted to show you how untrue that was, how much we love and value you."

"By doing the opposite of what I asked?"

"I..." Alice huffs. "Okay, I also thought you would warm to the idea eventually."

"To an idea that almost got me killed?"

"I didn't see that coming, and..."

"But that's my point! For all the good your gift supposedly does, you never see what I need you to see! You didn't see James' trickery in Phoenix. You didn't see that a paper cut would ruin my life, and you apparently didn't see the damage your leaving me would do!"

"I KNOW!" Alice yells back, rattling the phone with her volume. "I know I failed you, Bella! Over and over again, I failed to see the right thing or see anything or say anything or _do_ anything to make your life better. I know that, and I... I knew that from the moment you cut your finger at the house."

Bella closes her eyes, tears trickling over her cheeks. "You didn't even call me, Alice. The night of the party when everything was a mess, you just... walked out of the room and left me with Carlisle and never... never said another word to me."

Alice sniffles. "I know."

"Do you know how many times I emailed you these past months? How many times I called?"

"Nineteen and twelve," Alice murmurs.

Bella's eyes pop open. "What?"

"Since the day we left Forks, you emailed me nineteen times." Her voice is so small and hollow. "And called me twelve."

"You... how did you... Of course." She snorts. " _That_ you probably saw."

"No, I stopped looking for your future the minute I realized that Edward had resolved to leave you."

The words ring out more harshly than Alice probably intended, but at this point, what difference could a gentle tone make? Everything already hurts.

"How did you know about the calls and emails?" Bella asks at length.

"Because my accounts were still active." I suppress my shock at the news, and Esme and Carlisle make equal efforts, proving how little we actually knew about each other during that terrible time.

"I was bound by the covenant not to contact you," Alice continues. "But I never agreed to eliminate your means of contacting me. So each time you emailed me, I drafted the 'Mail Delivery Failure' responses by hand. And I manually diverted your phone calls to a recorded message that my phone was disconnected."

"Why?" Esme asks, incredulity coloring her voice.

"It was what I deserved," Alice replies. "I deserved to feel the pain of depravation, the effects of my actions and..."

"What the... so you..." Bella folds her hands and tries again. "You knew I was trying to get in touch with you?"

"Yes."

"Each time?"

"Yes."

"So you could have replied but didn't?"

"No."

"No?"

"No. By the terms of the covenant, I had no choice but to..."

"Don't you dare justify what you did with that useless covenant that..."

"It's not useless," Carlisle interjects, earning a glare from Bella as she turns to him.

"You don't think a covenant that gives you permission to abandon a human girl you supposedly love is useless?"

"Not the way you're thinking, no."

"Well." Bella puts her phone on speaker and sets it on the coffee table. "Please enlighten me, Dr. Cullen, about what I am thinking and how oh so wrong it is."

Esme's worried gaze flicks to me, and I wish I could cross the room and hug her. But I have chosen my corner, and I will not leave Bella's side. Not even to comfort the woman I consider my mother.

"You have no way of knowing this, Bella," Carlisle begins carefully. "But it is highly unusual for vampires to live in a group so large. Even with the self-control our unique diet affords us, our emotions are mercurial, heightened, and extremely difficult to manage. Add to those dynamics the particulars associated with romantic pairs, and you have a recipe for infighting, disaster, and at worst, mistrust."

Bella blinks in boredom. "I fail to see what any of that has to do with me."

"The covenant became a necessity when Alice and Jasper joined our clan. As Edward, Esme, Rosalie, and Emmett were all sired by me, our biological bond was always sufficient to quell any fissures among us. But Alice and Jasper had no reason to show such loyalty and seemed a rather independent pair besides."

"Carlisle felt it necessary to even things out," Esme says, the need to help forcing her to speak. "To give Alice and Jasper equal standing with the rest of us without yielding his rights as coven leader. So he drafted a covenant stating that any decisions made within a mated pair were to be explicitly followed by the rest of the family. We all agreed, signed it in venom, and have followed it without question."

"Until now," Alice says from the phone.

"Meaning what?" Bella asks.

"What she means, Bella, is that this recent situation with you and Edward marks the first time a member of a mated pair has ever made a life-altering decision without the consent of his mate." Esme states, her golden eyes darkening. "No provision was ever made for such an event because..."

"...because we never thought such a thing could happen," Carlisle says. "Even when the merit of the covenant was tested by Tyler's van..."

"What does that mean?" Bella asks.

I face Bella with a heavy sigh. "After Edward saved you that day, Jasper and I feared you might have guessed our secret and therefore needed to be eliminated to protect the family. The covenant prevented us from taking that sort of action."

Bella looks at Carlisle. "I thought your paternal privilege vetoed that idea."

"Jasper and Rosalie certainly deferred to my stated wishes. But everyone present knew that by risking exposure to save your life, Edward had essentially staked his claim and deemed you untouchable."

"Until he left me," Bella mutters.

"No, Bella." Carlisle's voice softens. "Even then, his decision to leave you meant we were not allowed to contact you or help you or do anything to dishonor his decision."

"Rosalie did. Even though the decision had been made, Rosalie came here anyway."

"Yes, but..." I shake my head in shame. "You know my motives weren't pure, Bella."

"It doesn't matter why you violated the covenant, Rose." Her smile is brief but sincere. "The point is that youdid it when no one else would."

"Yes, she did," Alice murmurs. "And because she was brave enough to defy the covenant and do what was right, we modeled her example and came back here to face what we had done."

"And you didn't know how I would react to that decision?"

"No," Alice says. "After Edward made the decision to leave Forks, I was... I was too afraid and ashamed to check your future. So I stopped looking altogether."

"But you must have seen when Rose decided to kill Edward," Bella says.

"I did."

"And if you saw that..."

"Then yes, I also saw her leaving from the Port Angeles airport, and from that, I deduced she was in Forks and probably with you. But that's it."

"That's it?" Bella leans closer to the phone. "You didn't see anything we talked about?"

"No."

"Anything we did?"

"I saw Rose's decision to take you to our old house but only because she wanted me to. If I'm not watching someone's decisions, then I really only see what they want me to see or something with life-changing implications." She pauses here, and I am relieved when she adds, "And since we have returned, I have been able to see you more clearly without trying. But I have not and would not act on or respond to anything I have seen."

"So you knew I was going to call you?"

"Yes. But I haven't been watching you. I hope you can believe that."

"I want to believe that," Bella murmurs. "I want to believe all of you, all of this."

"But..." Alice prompts.

"But it's just so much. It is so much and so awful and so... so _not_ what I expected from any of you." She looks at Esme. "You convinced yourself I was fine without you because I almost died with you. Did you ever think Edward was better off alone because he was miserable with you?"

Esme starts. "No, I... I never thought that."

"So how could you believe _I_ was better off?"

Esme looks down. "I'm sorry."

"And Alice?" Bella glares at the phone. "Am I supposed to feel gratified that it supposedly wounded you to get my calls and emails without answering them?"

"I won't tell you how to feel, Bella," Alice says. "I have no right or desire to do that. But I am telling you the truth. What you do with it... well, that's not for me to say."

Bella buries her head in her hands. "I am so tired."

"I know, and I think we..." A sound from outside gets my attention, and I hate myself for not noticing it sooner. "Um, Bella, I... I think your father's home."

"What?" Her head pops up. "Shit. I forgot he was only working a half-day today."

"Then we'll go." I turn to Bella. "If we use the back door, I'm sure he won't..."

"No." Carlisle comes to his feet. "We are not leaving."

"What?" Bella gapes at him. "But Charlie will see you."

"I know."

"And he will not be happy about it."

"I know," Carlisle says. "But Alice is right—it is high time we face what we have done. And we will start by facing your father."

* * *

 **Lawd, Carlisle... I hope you know what you're doing!**

 **Thanks for reading—see you soon! XOXO**


	71. Chapter 71

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything in the Twiverse. I'm just playing around in** _ **New Moon**_ **with Rosalie.**

 **Y'ALL... THANK YOU for giving WHWD more than 4,600 reviews! I am absolutely STUNNED by your support for this sprawling story of pain and reconciliation, and to show my appreciation, here's an early Christmas present from my heart to yours :)**

 **Let's just hope Carlisle knows what he's doing...**

* * *

 **Undoing What's Been Done**

 **Part 14**

Bella doesn't say anything, her gaze ping-ponging between Carlisle's face and the front window.

"He's right." Esme stands also, slipping her hand into her husband's. "This is the very least we could do."

"I don't know if that's..." The door to the cruiser slams shut, and Bella's jaw goes slack. "Oh, god..."

"Don't worry." I take Bella's hand and offer a small smile. "It'll be okay."

"I'll leave you to it," Alice says from the phone. "And Bella... I hope we can speak again soon."

Bella nods absently as the phone goes dead, her grip tightening around mine as the front door opens.

"I think I'm gonna be sick," she mutters into my arm.

"It'll be fine." I rub her arm, hoping she believes me. "It will all be fine."

"Bells?" Charlie calls out. "Are you hom—"

The words die on Charlie's lips as he finds my parents standing side by side in his living room. Before the silence can fully descend, Carlisle subtly clears his throat. "Chief Swan, hello."

Charlie's expression freezes in anger, his hard stare reluctantly leaving my sire to scan the room for his daughter. "Bella?"

"Dad," Bella croaks, clearing her throat. "Hey."

"Hey, yourself." His gaze lands on me, and he seems both surprised and relieved. "Rosalie."

"Hey, Charlie." I offer a small smile. "Happy New Year."

He chuckles. "A bit late in the year, but I'll take it from you."

"Thanks."

"You, uh..." He looks between Bella and me. "You want to tell me what's going on here?"

I subtly squeeze Bella's hand, hoping she'll take the lead. But she seems at a total loss for words, and for once, I am faring no better.

"We came to see Bella," Esme says, faltering a bit when Charlie glares at her. "By invitation, of course."

Charlie raises an eyebrow at Bella. "You invited them here?"

"Yes," she replies, but it sounds like a question.

"So they came all the way here from... from wherever the hell they've been all this time... just to see you?" Bella looks at the floor, and Charlie looks at me. "Rosalie?"

"They, uh... they didn't have to travel that far, Chief. _We_ didn't have to, that is."

He folds his arms. "And what does that mean?"

"We have returned to town," Carlisle says.

Charlie turns to him slowly. "What?"

Carlisle keeps his tone even. "We moved back to Forks."

"When?"

"The week before Christmas."

"The week befo—" Charlie shakes his head. "You... you're telling me you have been back here for three months?"

Carlisle nods. "Yes."

Charlie's eyes narrow. "All of you?"

"Yes."

"So he's here too?"

"Yes, Edward is also here," Esme says, trying to help. "Though he returned on his own from parts unknown."

Charlie chuckles without humor as he looks at me. "You said this might happen. That he might do this."

"I did."

"Did you know he would?"

"No," I admit. "But I'd hoped."

He frowns. "Why?"

"Because the way he left was wrong," Bella surprises us all by speaking. "What he... what they all did was wrong. And it... it wouldn't have been right to just leave things like that."

Charlie's gaze is steady as he approaches Bella. "Have you seen him?"

"Yes. But not since the week of Christmas."

"He came back just to ignore you?" He snorts. "Why am I not surprised?"

"No, I..." Bella steps forward. "I told him to give me some space, and he... he has done that. They all have."

Charlie's expression tightens though his voice remains gentle. "But you will see him at some point?"

"I..." She fiddles with the hem of her sweater. "Yes, I will. Please don't be mad."

"Oh, honey." Charlie takes Bella in his arms, stroking the back of her head. "I am never mad at you, okay? No matter what, please remember that. I'm just... I hate what they did to you, Bella, and I cannot pretend otherwise."

"I know," she mutters against his chest.

"I hate that they left and the way they left, and I especially hate that they have suddenly come back and forced you to face them."

"We would never force Bella to do anything," Esme says, falling silent at Charlie's scoffing grunt.

"What she means," Carlisle says, "is that our return to Forks was a secret and in no way placed a demand on Bella."

"Is that a fact?" Charlie releases Bella and faces my father. "You think after you welcomed her into your family, encouraged her dalliance with that... that degenerate you call a son, then kicked her to the curb the minute you saw fit... you think that she could know you were here, secretly or not, and somehow decide _not_ to see you? You really think Bella is capable of that sort of indifference toward people she once considered family?"

Carlisle swallows hard but does not look away. "Viewing it in those terms, no."

"In those terms." Charlie chuckles without humor. "How else could you possibly view it? Or do you think my daughter's loyalty is as fickle as your own?"

Esme gasps under her breath, but the shock on her face is evident to all. "I suppose we deserve that."

Charlie frowns. "You suppose?"

"I didn't mean it like..." Esme sighs, her eyes downcast. "Maybe we shouldn't have come."

"You shouldn't have _gone_ ," Charlie says. "You ever think of that?"

"Every day." Carlisle steps forward. "We thought of little else from the moment we left Forks."

"A fat lot of good that did my daughter."

"Charlie, I..." Carlisle shakes his head sadly. "I know this is hard and..."

I wince internally as Charlie turns toward Carlisle. "What?"

"A lot has happened between our families," Carlisle continues, "and I know how difficult this must be, seeing us here again."

"You think you know how difficult this must be?" Charlie drags a hand down his face. "You think you know what this is like for me? For her?"

Carlisle seems to pale, his golden gaze tight as he finally realizes his misstep. "I mean only that I can appreciate the ways this might..."

"You have no idea what this is like!" Charlie roars as he steps toward Carlisle. "For her, for me, for anyone but yourselves—your selfish, irresponsible, reckless selves!"

Bella returns to my side and grabs my hand, but she does not interrupt him.

"You have no idea what it was like for me to come home that day to an empty house, finding Bella's truck out front but seeing no sign of her anywhere. How I felt when my calls to her phone went unanswered and no one at school knew where she was. What it was like for me to wait in that chair, praying the door would open at any moment. The soul-crushing fear that gripped my chest as it got darker and darker and she didn't appear and I had to call my own men to come out and search for her. And when Sam Uley finally burst through the trees, carrying her in his arms, you don't know how quickly that fear solidified into certainty that something truly terrible had happened to my baby."

Charlie sweeps moisture from his face, his voice breaking. "You don't... you don't know anything about the sound of her crying in her sleep, screaming that boy's name night after night but refusing to wake up. You don't know how nothing helped her, nothing soothed her, and nothing I did or said made any difference at all. And you don't know how I cursed the day she met the lot of you and prayed you were all suffering in horrible, unspeakable ways."

He looks at me, his expression turning tender. "Rosalie is the only one who cared enough to come back. The only one... the only one to get Bella to smile again after so many weeks of... of nothing. She saw Bella at her worst, and she stayed, she helped, she loved on my daughter, and I... I will never be able to repay her kindness."

I cover my mouth with a shaky hand as Bella leans into my shoulder and my parents stand mutedly pleased by Charlie's assessment of me. An assessment I do not fully deserve but wouldn't dare contradict right now.

"But you." Charlie's voice drops as he approaches Carlisle. "You don't have the faintest clue of what it is like for me to find you in my house looking as if leaving Bella behind hasn't changed you at all. Yet you here you are with your perfect manners and flawless faces, having the balls to say you can _appreciate_ how difficult this is for us? I have too much respect for Bella and Rosalie to say what I really want to say, but I am more than willing to say this." He stalks out of the room with purpose, and I hear the front door open. "Get the hell out of my house right—"

Charlie falls silent, and Bella looks at me in confusion before going after her father. "Dad?"

"Oh, you..." Charlie chuckles, and Bella gasps. "You have got to be kidding me!"

Esme's eyes widen, Carlisle groans, and a familiar scent hits my nose as Bella finds her voice again.

"Edward?"

* * *

 **Who else?**

 **I doubt I'll see you again before Christmas, so have a very merry one and thank you again for sticking with me for so long. XOXO**


	72. Chapter 72

**Happy New Year! I hope 2018 is your best year yet.**

 **And to help you start things off with a bang, I am promising to finish this story by the end of the month. How's that for a resolution?**

 **Speaking of resolutions, it seems Edward has resolved to enter the fracas.**

 **God help him.**

* * *

 **Undoing What's Been Done**

 **Part 15**

I race out the back door and round the side of the house just as Chief Swan makes it onto his porch.

"You've got some nerve showing your face here." His voice is taut with rage as he stares down at Edward. "I oughta have you arrested!"

"Now, Charlie." Carlisle spills onto the porch behind the chief, his eyes wide with worry. "I think we should..."

Charlie ignores him, looking only at Edward. "Didn't Bella tell you to give her some space?"

Edward nods once. "She did."

"Yet here you are, ignoring her wishes." Charlie shakes his head. "But I guess I shouldn't be surprised."

"I understand why you'd see it that way," Edward replies. "But that is not my intention."

"Then what the hell are you doing here?"

"My sister told me that Carlisle and Esme were here, and then I..."

Charlie frowns at me. "You invited him here?"

"My other sister," Edward replies before I have a chance to speak. "Alice."

Charlie looks at Edward and folds his arms. "And?"

"And I realized that your quarrel would not be with my parents." He takes a step forward. "But with me."

Charlie laughs without humor. "So you're putting on the noble act, is that it?"

"It is no act, sir." Edward glances at Bella too quickly for Charlie to detect. "I am here to answer for what I did."

"Answer?"

"Yes, sir."

Charlie descends his porch stairs, one deliberate step at a time. "You think there is anything you can say to possibly make this right?"

"No, sir, I do not." He looks away. "My mistakes are egregious and unpardonable. But I am here just the same."

Charlie reaches the bottom of the stairs and stares at Edward in furious silence. Carlisle and Esme look on in impotent concern from the porch, but Bella's gaze is easily the most focused. From this angle, it is impossible to tell if she watches her father or my brother with such intensity, and neither would surprise me at this point.

"How long have you been here?" Charlie asks Edward in a low voice.

"In Forks or outside your home?"

"Both."

"I have been in Forks since the week before Christmas and arrived outside your home just as you were opening the door."

"That's quite a coincidence." Charlie turns to my parents on the porch. "Almost as if someone tipped you off."

"We did not contact him, Charlie," Carlisle says with a small measure of indignation. "And had no idea he was coming. You have my word."

"Well, now! I have the word of the man who abandoned my daughter and allowed his son to play fast and loose with her heart." Charlie whoops. "I must be the luckiest son of a bitch in town!"

"Don't blame Carlisle, Chief Swan," Edward says. "It was my fault and mine alone that we left Bella."

Charlie whirls back around. "Don't say her name."

Edward holds up his palms in surrender. "Okay."

"You have no right to say her name." Charlie's voice shakes with fury. "No right to be here."

"I know."

"You have no right to even breathe the same air as my daughter after what you did to her."

"I know."

"Then why shouldn't I ram my fist through your face and show you what it's like!"

Esme gasps. "Charlie, please!"

"Please what? Please spare him the pain he caused? Please pretend I don't want to wrap my hands around his neck and choke the life out of him the way he choked it out of my little girl?" Charlie grabs a fistful of Edward's jacket, jerking him forward. "You have no idea how much I want to."

"You should," Edward replies without blinking. "I deserve no less."

Bella's eyes widen as Charlie yanks Edward tighter, and Carlisle rushes down the stairs to grip Charlie's shoulder. "You don't want to do that, Charlie."

Charlie shrugs him off. "Stop telling me what to do, _Dr._ Cullen. I've had enough of that for one day."

"Stay out of this, Carlisle." Edward looks past Charlie to our sire. "He has every right to do with me as he pleases."

"But it won't change anything," Carlisle cries. "And it won't make things better."

"Yes, it would!" Charlie snaps. "Hurting him like he hurt Bella would make things a hell of a lot better."

"How?"

At the sound of Bella's small voice, Charlie starts. "What?"

"I know you're angry with him, Dad." She makes her way down the stairs. "And I... I wouldn't dare take that away from you. But hurting him now won't change how much I hurt then."

"But he..." Charlie meets her eyes as she comes to his side, his own eyes shining. "He left you."

"I know."

"And he..." Charlie shakes his head as tears spill over his cheeks. "He broke you, Bells."

"He bent me. Bent me nearly in half, but he didn't break me." She rests her hands atop Charlie's. "Because I'm still here."

Charlie blinks and releases Edward's shirt with shaky hands. "Oh my god."

"It's okay." Bella wraps her arms around Charlie, her concerned gaze finding me over Charlie's shoulder. "It's gonna be okay."

"He doesn't deserve you, Bells," Charlie cries into her shoulder. "Doesn't deserve to even look at you after what he did."

"I know."

"And I... my god, I..." Charlie raises his head to look at Bella. "I almost..."

"But you didn't." Bella kisses Charlie's cheek. "Because that's the kind of man you really are. Now let's get inside."

Esme steps aside as Bella guides Charlie inside and closes the front door. Out of respect, we do our best to tune them out and instead turn our attention toward Edward. Esme checks for witnesses on the street then blurs down the steps to cradle her first son's cheeks. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine." He pats her hands gently. "Please don't make a fuss."

"Did Alice really tell you to come?" I ask.

"Not exactly. I was returning from a talk with Eleazar when I overheard her concerned thoughts about your confrontation with Charlie. She feared it would not end well, and I could not disagree."

"We did not intend to confront Charlie," Carlisle says. "We only wished to talk."

"And you can imagine how well that went," Esme adds. "Honey, I am afraid we have not made things any better for you and Bella or with Charlie."

"There is nothing you can do," Edward replies. "And I will thank you both to stop trying."

"You are my son," Carlisle says. "I could never stop trying to make your life better. I just wish there were a way to do so without making Charlie's life more difficult."

"As do I. But I cannot see a way forward." Esme turns to me with a heavy sigh. "Do you?"

"The only thing I see right now is the need to leave," I say not unkindly. "We shouldn't overstay our welcome."

"Rosalie is right." Carlisle takes Esme's hand. "Are you coming, son?"

Edward glances at the house. "Not yet."

I toss my keys at Carlisle. "I'll be there in a minute."

Esme's phone rings, and we recognize Alice's ringtone. "I'll take this in the car then we'll go."

I nod at Esme as she heads toward the car and begins to update Alice. As Carlisle opens the driver's side door, I face my brother. "That was a gutsy move you made."

Edward shrugs. "I couldn't let them pay for what I've done."

"But they made bad choices, too, Edward. We all did."

"But my actions precipitated those choices, Rose. And I am prepared to face the consequences, whatever they may be."

"Wow, look at you." I stare at him in awe. "I almost believe you."

He snorts, shaking his head. "Well, that's a promising start."

"Seriously though, Edward. Good on you." I lean in and kiss his cheek. "Seems you're finally focusing on the right thing."

"Let's hope it's not too late."

Before I can reply, the Swan's front door opens, and Bella steps onto her porch. Though she has all our attention, I am tacitly deputized to speak first. "How's Charlie?"

"He's settled in with a Sonics game and iced tea," she says evenly. "Didn't think beer would be helpful."

"Good call."

Bella turns to Edward, her expression carefully neutral. "You really upset him."

"I know." He dips his head slightly. "May I go in and apologize?"

"He doesn't want to see you."

"I understand."

Bella looks away, and I glance at Carlisle through the windshield, his gaze as awkward as I feel. We all want to give Bella and Edward their privacy, but pulling away now would only draw more attention to our presence. So my parents feign invisibility in the car while I admire the budding spring flora and count the passing cars.

When the third vehicle goes by, Bella addresses Edward again.

"I told you I wanted space."

"I know."

"So why did you come here?"

"To answer for what I have done."

"But you just told Charlie nothing you say would make any difference."

"I didn't say that."

She raises an eyebrow. "No?"

"No." He takes a step toward her. "I said no words could justify what I did."

"Then why even say them?"

"Because you deserve to hear them." He pauses with a small clearing of his throat. "If you want to."

Bella shakes her head, looks away, and is silent so long that I fully expect her to tell Edward to go away and take his useless words with him.

And if she does that, I will truly be at a loss for what to do next.

Instead, she huffs under her breath and looks at him.

"Fine." She tips her chin toward the forest. "Come for a walk with me."

* * *

 **Now where have we heard those words before?**

 **Thanks for reading—see you in about a week! XOXO**


	73. Chapter 73

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything in the Twiverse. I'm just playing around in** _ **New Moon**_ **with Rosalie.**

 **Before we begin, may I just thank y'all AGAIN for your support for this story? This saga has more than 4,800 reviews, and as amazing as that is—and it truly is amazing!—I am more so touched how loyal and kind you all are when you share your thoughts with me. Even those who have flounced because they think the reconciliation is too angsty or unfair to Edward or simply taking too long, they have always expressed their feelings respectfully and without spite. In a world (and fandom, sadly) that sometimes seems overrun by meanies and trolls, I continue to be touched by how wonderful all you beautiful people are.**

 **So THANK YOU for being awesome. You make writing this very difficult story an absolute pleasure!**

 **Now... who's ready to take a walk?**

* * *

 **Undoing What's Been Done**

 **Part 16**

On the surface, Bella's words seem a mere invitation to go have a conversation.

But Edward's gasp and widening of the eyes tell a different story—a story only the two of them really know.

A story only the two of them can really finish.

"We're going to go," I say with a small smile, looking first at Bella then Edward.

Bella only nods in response, and I am unsurprised that Edward is too focused on her to acknowledge my words. I climb in the backseat of my car, and as we pull away, I turn in my seat to face my brother through the window.

"You can do this," I think as loudly as possible. "Whatever 'this' is, Edward, you can do it. I know you can."

He nods once as we pull out of sight, and I believe he has heard me.

"Let me tell Charlie where I'm going," Bella says, looking Edward in the eye. "I wouldn't want him to worry like the last time I went into the forest."

Edward winces but keeps his expression neutral. "I will wait here."

Bella disappears into the house and returns sooner than expected. Edward approaches the door, thinking something is amiss, but Bella waves him off.

"He's asleep, so I left him a note." She brushes by him and crosses the street. "Let's go."

Edward follows but at some distance, his steps quiet but steady. Even without the benefit of his perfect vampiric recall, he would know the exact moment they reach the spot of that fateful confrontation by the slowing of Bella's steps. Her heart rate accelerates, her breathing becomes a bit labored, and Edward fists his hands at his sides to keep from trying to steady her.

"This is far enough," she says with her back to him. The surrounding forest is alive with promise, the advent of spring scenting the air with the hope of possibility.

But as Bella turns around, the flat look in her eyes gives the opposite impression.

"You have something to say?"

Edward starts. "I, uh... well, yes."

"I'm listening."

Edward parts his lips as if to speak, but sound is slow in coming. Instead his gaze lingers on her face—the cream of her skin, the brown of her eyes, the familiar shape of her mouth—and the ensuing delay causes Bella to huff aloud. "Really, Edward?"

He blinks. "Um, what?"

"You said you wanted to talk, but now you have nothing to say?"

"I'm sorry for staring." He shoves his hands in his pockets. "I just... It's been so long since I've had the opportunity to just look at you, and I want to take you all the way in just... just in case this is the last time."

"The last time?"

"If this doesn't go well," he says slowly. "Should I really expect that I would ever see you again?"

"I..." Bella looks away, rubbing her arms. "That's a lot of pressure to put on me, Edward."

"I'm sorry. I don't mean it that way." He steps toward her, pleased when she doesn't back away. "I just... I have had a lot of time to think since the last time I was here with you and..."

"The last time you were here with me," she quotes him bitterly. "Like the last time we were here didn't gut me and destroy everything I thought I knew."

He actually flinches. "I don't mean to do that."

"Then what do you mean, Edward? What do you mean by all of this?"

"I mean to tell you everything—everything I should have said then and everything I have learned since then. I don't know how far I'll get before..."

"How far you'll get before what?"

He pauses, his voice grave. "How far I'll get before you decide you're done with me for good."

The words hang thickly between them, and the stretching silence confirms his right to be concerned.

"Don't worry about how far you'll get," she murmurs. "Or how I might react. You just need..."

"To begin."

"Yes." She meets his gaze. "You just need to begin."

"Okay. Then I shall begin."

He expels a heavy breath and nods. Bella closes her eyes, bracing herself for the mental journey back to that September afternoon as Edward takes a rare audible breath.

"As I watched you sleeping in Phoenix, I..."

"What?" Bella's eyes pop open. "Did you say Phoenix?"

"Yes. I am referring to the time when you were in the hospital after..."

"No, I know what you're referring to, but... but why are you talking about that now?"

"Because it is the only place to properly begin." He watches warily as her features fall into confusion. "Is that okay?"

"I don't really have the right to say 'no,' do I?"

"Of course you do." Another instinctual step forward. "Eleazar says people have the right to their feelings and actions, and I have no right to try to control them. But I have total control over my response to those things."

Bella blinks at him. "Eleazar?"

"Yes, Carmen's mate." At her continued stare, he adds, "I have been... seeing him."

"Seeing him?"

He holds her gaze gently. "As you have been seeing Carmen, I would imagine."

Her cheeks redden. "Who told you about that?"

"No one! When I... that day you read me that letter, Carmen was on the porch with you. I hadn't realized you two were acquainted, but I soon figured out why. Because... because I was there when Esme needed her."

"Right." Bella rubs her arms. "I'm sorry for interrupting."

"That's okay. But as I said, if you don't want me to talk about Phoenix, I won't."

"Edward, I think we're past the point where anything should be off-limits."

"I think you're right."

When he doesn't restart his train of thought, she says, "So I was asleep in Phoenix..."

"Yes." He sighs, his gaze on the ground. "And as I watched you, your beautiful body covered in bruises and hooked up to machines... I could not escape the truth of how you'd gotten there."

"Edward..."

"It would have been easy to blame it on James, his ego and lust. To think that had he only left well enough alone, you would not have been in that hospital bed. I could have even stopped at blaming myself for not getting to the ballet studio sooner or for believing that separating from you would somehow keep you safe.

"But it didn't take long... or any real effort... to see that your injuries were entirely my fault—my fault for giving in to the part of me that wanted you for myself."

"Edward, stop." Bella shakes her head. "You just said you aren't responsible for anyone else's choices. James made the choice to come after me once he saw us together at the baseball game."

"And why were you at the baseball game? Because I decided I was done trying to stay away from you. Because I dropped the façade and let you in. Because I made the choice to allow you into my life—a life from which I knew I could not protect you."

"You couldn't have known you would have to protect me from a psychopath like James, and in the end, you're the one who saved my life. So that whole situation in Phoenix... I understand why you would feel guilty, but it has nothing to do with you choosing to abandon me last year in the forest."

Edward mashes his lips together, visibly struggling to stay calm. "I see why you would see things that way."

"And anyway, had you just let the venom spread in Phoenix, I wouldn't have been vulnerable on my birthday." She eyes him evenly. "That, too, was my choice—the choice to become like you—and you ignored it."

"Yes. I ignored it." He drags his darkened gaze to her face. "And I did so because I didn't think you meant it."

"Of course not. Because the telepath knows everything!"

"No, because I wasn't willing to risk your soul or your future or your..." He clamps his lips shut. "I just wasn't willing to risk anything that we..."

"What were you going to say?"

He shakes his head. "It doesn't matter."

"Yes, it does. Right now, Edward, everything matters."

He looks up, barely maintaining eye contact. "I wasn't willing to risk your feelings for me."

"Risk my..." She steps back, folding her arms. "Edward, what are you talking about? I wanted to change _because of_ my feelings for you."

"And I couldn't risk those feelings changing _after_ you'd been changed."

"I don't understand."

"After giving up Charlie, your human future, and the rest of your..." He closes his eyes, shaking his head. "Never mind. It doesn't matter."

"Stop saying that!" The force of her shout causes her voice to crack. "You left me here, Edward. Crushed everything that mattered, everything I thought was real, so don't you dare say your reasons for doing it don't matter!"

"But that's my point! I didn't know that."

"Didn't know what?"

"I didn't know how much I mattered to you! I didn't... didn't know you felt even a fraction of what I felt for you. I didn't think you could. Not so quickly, not so deeply, and surely not..."

Her nostrils flare. "Surely not what?"

"Surely not so permanently."

"Oh my god." Bella's eyes widen. "That's... that's what you meant about my mind being like a sieve. You... you thought that with enough time, I could... that I would actually..." She covers her mouth with a hand. "God, Edward."

He looks down, swallowing hard. "I'm sorry."

"How could you... how could you ever minimize my feelings for you that way? How could you just assume your love was stronger than mine?" Fury coats her words." Are you really that arrogant or do you just have that low an opinion of me?"

"I think the very best of you, Bella. You are so much more than I ever deserved and..."

"No! You can't tell me you never believed in the strength of my love then tell me you think the best of me. That doesn't work."

"But it's how I felt! It is the real, raw truth of how I saw things back then." He turns, running a hand through his hair. "I know it was wrong of me, so wrong it can hardly be described. But without the confirmation of your thoughts, how could I be sure?"

"The same way I was sure of you! Sure enough to risk my life to be with you."

He snorts. "And should that be the measure of love? The willingness to die at the hands of the one you love?"

"Yes, because..." She stops short. "Wait, what?"

"Should I have taken it as a positive sign that you loved me enough to die by my hands?"

"By your hands?"

His eyes are golden flint as he looks at her. "Do you not remember your birthday?"

"Of course I remember my birthday. It was the last time I smiled before Rosalie loaned me her bracelet."

He doesn't know what that means but is too far down the road of memory to enquire. "Do you not remember how that happened?"

"You think I could forget?" She walks toward him, her voice trembling. "You think I could forget the night that changed my life forever?"

"No. So tell me what happened."

"Are you serious right now?"

"Deadly." He stares at her unblinking. "Tell me what happened that night."

"Which part? The part where I didn't want the damn party in the first place? Or the part where Rosalie gave me a gift and made sure to point out she didn't actually buy it? Or the part where I get a paper cut and Jasper lunges at me, scaring me half to death?"

"The part where I hurl you into a table full of glassware, causing that gash on your arm I can still see and baiting the thirst of every vampire in that room save Carlisle himself." His voice is ragged and hollow. "Did you forget that part?"

She looks away, swallowing hard. "That's not..."

"Did you forget that before I overreacted, the situation could have remained manageable. Emmett and Carlisle could have overpowered Jasper or I could have told Alice to whisk you to safety."

"You tried to control Jasper, but he was wild with..."

"Or I could have carried you away myself. No one is faster than I, and with the superfluity of my gift, I would have always remained one step ahead of Jasper." He raises his tortured gaze to hers. "But none of that happened because I chose instead to fling you behind me into the table, turning an accident into an avalanche of chaos."

Bella exhales a harsh breath through her nose. "You were trying to protect me."

"And I failed. Miserably. And in... in the process of that, I tempted my family and myself, putting you in immediate mortal danger. You almost died, Bella."

"I think you're overstating what could have..."

"YOU ALMOST DIED!" He roars, scaring a flock of birds out of the canopy above. "Do you not understand that? You almost died by very own hands!"

She is shaking her head before he finishes his thought. "That's not true."

"Really? Did you ever wonder why Carlisle had to come to your rescue? Why he was the one cradling your arm and tending to your wound?"

She frowns in thought. "He told you to go after Jasper."

"Only after I was too busy engorging on the scent of your blood to move. You almost died on your birthday while I stood there unable to do anything but fight my own bloodlust."

"Did you ever consider that had one of you bitten me, Carlisle could have changed me right then and this whole issue of my mortality would have been over?"

"Do you think we would have all taken turns having a little taste? A nibble on your wrist here—well, the wrist James didn't bite—a nuzzle at your neck there? Bella, it would have been brutal and cruel and absolutely terrifying for you. Carlisle would never have changed you under those circumstances, and even if in some fit of desperation he had chosen to do so, how could I enjoy eternity with you knowing that I had not only condemned your soul but done so just to save you from my desire to drain you dry?"

Bella pales at his words, crossing her arms over her chest as he continues.

"No, when I... when I realized what I had almost done, what I had actually allowed... I knew for certain that I was in no position to protect you. Not from predators like James, my own family, and especially myself. No matter how much I loved you, I could never override my nature, and I could no longer pretend otherwise." He looks at her. "I weighed all of this before I left, Bella, all of this against the preciousness of your life, and... and in the end, I decided that lying to you about my feelings and making you doubt how much I needed and loved you... all of that would be worth it to save your life. I knew I was risking the possibility of you hating me, but I didn't care if it meant you would be alive to do it."

Tears spill over Bella's cheeks, and she swipes her face with the back of her hand, still unable to speak.

"I'd thought the ends justified the means," he continues. "That my cruelty, deception, and manipulation were all permissible... advisable even... in the name of keeping you safe. I'd convinced myself if no one else that loving you gave me the right to do whatever was necessary to ensure I never put you in danger ever again."

When he stops speaking, Bella looks at him. "You'd thought?"

"I'd thought."

She licks her dry lips. "And now?"

"Now I realize how foolish, selfish, callous, and utterly wrong I was." He moves toward her, stopping when her eyes widen. "Love is patient and kind. It believes the best and never lies. It is rooted in mutuality and demands respect. And I... when I consider what I have done, it is painfully clear that I acted not out of love but of fear—the fear of losing you, the fear of not deserving you, and the fear of never truly knowing if you loved me as much as you said you did."

She closes her eyes. "Every time you say that, I don't know whether to be hurt, pissed, or both."

"I deserve both. And I realize that now."

Bella rubs her arms, shaking her head. "Edward, this... this is a lot to take in."

"I know."

"And I... I don't even know what to do with it."

"I know, and I didn't expect that from you."

"What did you expect?"

"I expected... I hoped we would have the chance to talk today, about why I left, why I came back, what I've learned since then... all of it."

"And then?"

His gaze softens. "Then I hoped we could talk again. And again and again."

Her breath catches. "Until?"

"Until you decided you didn't want to talk to me anymore or that you... you were willing for us to try more than just talking." He reaches for her then clasps his hands behind his back. "I love you, Bella. I have never stopped and I never will. I have no right to tell you that, no right to even burden you with that information, but it's true. It's ultimately the reason I came back and why I can promise never to leave you again.

"But I make no assumptions about how you feel... and not because I don't think your love was as strong as mine," he adds hastily. "But I betrayed your trust and committed an unpardonable sin against you and all we stood for, and... there isn't enough time in the world to make that right."

"So where..." She smooths her hair out of her face. "Where does that leave us?"

"Wherever you want us to be. Wherever you're comfortable being."

"Well, I think..." Her phone rings in her pocket, and she looks down with a soft sigh. "It's Charlie. I'd better get this."

He nods, turning away to give her privacy.

"Hey, Dad."

" _Bella? Are you all right? Where are you?"_

"I'm fine. Just across the street."

" _Is he... is he with you?"_

She glances at Edward. "Yes."

" _Are you all right? Do you need me to come?"_

"No, I'm fine. Was just about to head home."

" _Alone?"_

"Yes."

"Okay." Charlie's relief is palpable. "I'll see you soon."

"Okay." Bella closes the phone and slips it back into her pocket. "Sorry about that."

"Don't apologize for your father's love," he murmurs. "Or anything else for that matter."

She looks over her shoulder toward her house. "Well, I'd better go."

"Okay. Thanks for taking this time with me."

"You're welcome. Thank you for... for being honest."

"I will never again be anything else with you, Bella. I hope you someday come to believe that."

With a slight nod, Bella turns away and starts on the path back toward her house. Edward watches her go with his heart in his throat, awash in a riot of emotions. Nothing has been resolved, some things are yet to be addressed, yet this has already been more than he expected.

More than he ever thought he could have again.

"Edward?"

He blinks out of his thoughts to find Bella a few yards away, facing him on the path. "Yes?"

"Could you..." She clears her throat. "Will you come back tomorrow? To talk?"

"Yes." He can barely hide his enthusiasm. "Yes, I absolutely will."

"Okay." She offers the faintest hint of a smile. "Then I will see you tomorrow."

And as far as Edward is concerned, no sweeter words have ever been spoken.

* * *

 **I can confirm at this point that there are two more chapters left—one proper chapter and one epilogue to the epilogue so to speak.**

 **Thanks so much for reading and for all your support—see you in about a week! XOXO**


	74. Chapter 74

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything in the Twiverse. I'm just playing around in** _ **New Moon**_ **with Rosalie.**

 **Well, here we are. The final chapter... before the epilogue to the epilogue. I'm both excited and terrified to share it because it means SO MUCH, but I think I'm ready. I wasn't ready before, which is why this chapter took so long to get here. It's the last official chapter, you know? So it had to be right.**

 **And I think it is. Well, I hope it is.**

 **Wait! One more thing. And if you aren't Guest Reviewer Libby, you can skip this note:**

 **Hey, honey! Rose is able to narrate scenes—even when she's not in them—because she has heard this entire story from both Bella and Edward many, many times. So, no, you didn't miss anything: Rose left the Swan house with Carlisle and Esme, and only Bella and Edward were in the forest. At the very beginning of this extended epilogue, I'd explained how Rose can narrate scenes she's not in, and I should have done so for that last chapter. Sorry for the confusion!**

 **Okay, NOW I'm ready!**

 **I hope you are too.**

* * *

 **Undoing What's Been Done**

 **Part 17**

Edward arrives home just after dusk, and we all do a terrible job pretending we haven't been on pins and needles waiting for him.

Alice is literally dancing on the porch when he arrives, and all he can do is smile in return. It's not his brightest smile, and some heaviness lurks around its edges, but it is a genuine smile, and our home is made the lighter for seeing it.

"I would ask how it went," I remark to Edward when I visit his room later that night. "But I think I already know."

He doesn't reply right away, his countenance suddenly sad.

"What is it?"

"Things are still a mess, Rose," he whispers. "She stayed and listened, let me explain myself as best she could. She wasn't as angry as I expected, and I'm grateful for that."

"But..."

"But we never should have had that conversation." He meets my eyes. "Because I never should have left. I never should have allowed guilt to make decisions for me."

"And we shouldn't have enabled you to do so." I take his hand gently. "Edward, I've never been your biggest fan, as you well know. And when you left Bella, I'm ashamed to say I was somewhat relieved, thinking maybe in a month or two, our family would get back to our version of normal. But I was foolish and wrong to believe that. And I'm... well, I'm sorry for not being a better sister to you then."

"You're amazing to me now." He squeezes my hand. "So don't go focusing on the wrong thing."

I pull back my hand and shove him off the settee we share. "Don't get smart."

He allows himself to hit the ground, looking up at me. "We both know how unlikely that is."

We share a light chuckle then I clear my throat. "How did you leave things with Bella? If I may ask."

"You may." A hint of that earlier smile returns. "She asked me to come back and speak with her tomorrow."

"Wow. No wonder you're smiling."

"Yeah." He comes to his feet, brushing nonexistent lint from his impeccable clothes. "I am certainly not naïve enough to think we are anywhere where we were before... which, if I'm honest, wasn't exactly healthy... but I am taking her willingness to see me as a good sign and believe tomorrow's conversation will have an even greater impact than today's."

Well, it turns out Edward is absolutely right about that.

But not the way he expects.

Bella texts him and asks him to meet her in the forest again. She has but a few hours until Charlie gets home, and Edward is not allowed anywhere near her front door, a fact which surprises no one.

What is surprising though is the scene Edward encounters when he meets Bella in the forest. She is exactly where they met yesterday, but this time, she's holding a cardboard box.

And when Edward realizes what's inside it, he stops cold.

"I spent all night thinking about what you said yesterday," she says in lieu of a greeting. "I heard your reasons for leaving, your guilt about my birthday and all the rest. I heard you, and I... I heard you."

Here she pauses, raising her gaze to his. "But when I went in my closet this morning looking for a lighter jacket, I accidentally kicked this box. And everything you said went out the window because this was all I could think about."

She drops the box on the ground between them, the clang of the broken stereo echoing around them.

"Edward, I... I understand that you were afraid, that you thought it would be safer for me if you removed yourself and your family from my life. I don't like it and wish to God you hadn't done it, but I... I can at least understand that." She indicates the box. "But I cannot understand this."

Edward wants to look away but doesn't, watching her drop to a crouch and pull out a thin pile of photos.

"It wasn't enough for you to physically disappear from my life..." Her voice catches, and she clears it discreetly. "You had to take my memories too? To erase any proof that we ever loved at all? I just... I don't understand how you could do that, why you would do that."

"I..." Edward sighs, his eyes stinging with tears he cannot cry. "I almost forgot I'd done that."

Bella snorts. "Somehow that doesn't surprise me."

"I'm sor—"

"Edward, please," she says not unkindly. "Just…"

"Right." Edward looks down. "I, um… I want to try to explain why I hid your things."

Bella doesn't respond, but her expression indicates that she's willing to hear what he has to say. He has no clue how she will react, but he clears his throat, deciding to begin anyway.

"As I… as I prepared to leave, I couldn't abide the thought of you pining after me, of you wishing for a return I had no intention of ever making."

Bella flinches, and Edward sighs. "I'm sorry," he says. "I shouldn't have said that."

"It's fine." She wraps her arms around herself. "I already knew that anyway."

Edward doesn't reply right away, and Bella looks at him. He looks down, unable to meet her eyes now, then forces himself to look up. She is instantly wary and leans away from him. "What?"

"When I… when I told you in the forest that I wouldn't be back," he says. "I… I meant that."

"I know."

"No, I… at the time, it was more… I said that for my benefit. That I… I knew if I didn't promise not to return, then I would have someday changed my mind. For myself. Because I didn't know if I could actually live without you."

She frowns. "Okay…"

"But after… after I kissed your forehead and disappeared, I heard you calling me, chasing me. And I knew… I knew that unless I completely removed my presence from your life, a part of you would always been chasing me, waiting for me. So while…"

"…while I was chasing you, you went to my house and stole my shit," Bella finishes for him.

Edward holds her gaze. "Yes."

"Because…" She exhales harshly, clenching her fists. "Because you thought that if I had no tangible reminders of you, I would eventually let go of the emotional ones."

"Yes."

"Because you doubted the strength of my love for you."

"Yes."

She nods, turning away. Edward watches her from what feels like a great distance, unable to bridge the gap. He'd hoped they would only move on from yesterday's conversation, but here they are yet again at the intersection of his faulty perspective and her pain. And though tempted to try to talk his way out of this familiar hole, he stands silently by and waits her out.

"I think you should go," she murmurs without turning around.

A stone drops into the pit of his stomach. "Go?"

She nods, sniffling through her next words. "I know you're just being honest, and that's what I want... what I need from you right now. And I already realized you stole my stuff after you told me goodbye. But I'm just… it's so hard to hear you admit that you didn't understand how much I loved you, that so many of your decisions were fueled by that ignorance. Decisions that hurt me so deeply. It kills me to hear that, and I… I need some time to process it."

He nods, but she can't see him.

"I'm not trying to be cruel or make this harder than it already is. I just..." She wipes her face with both hands. "Please tell me you understand—"

"Of course." He fights to keep the emotion out of his voice. "Whatever you need."

Her body sags, though with relief or weariness, he cannot tell from behind. "Thank you."

"I'll, um..." He clears his throat. "I'll wait to hear from you."

"Yes." She finally faces him, and the moisture on her cheeks nearly kills him. "I just need to..."

"You don't have to explain," he says gently. "And thank you for being honest with me."

She doesn't say anything as she bends to pick up the box, glancing only briefly his way before heading back to her home. When he hears the front door click shut, Edward drags himself home and shuts himself in his room.

And this time, we all leave him be.

*** W – H – W – D ***

The next two days are the longest we have ever spent together as a family. Edward has not moved or spoken since his dismissal from Bella, save a brief solo hunting trip early late last night. Alice has given herself a headache trying not to monitor Bella's decisions, and Jasper's attempts to distract her have had little effect.

So when Edward's phone rings on the morning of the third day, we all breathe a silent sigh of relief. He soon flies out the door without a goodbye, and a considerable weight has lifted from the house.

And settled square in the center of my chest.

Edward flies to their spot in the forest and finds Bella seated on a felled log. He notices a similar seat across from her. "Did you drag these here?"

"I had help." She indicates his log with a wave of the hand. "Thank you for coming."

"Of course." Edward situates himself on his log. "Bella, I need to apolo—"

"Do you trust me?"

Edward blinks, surprised by the question. "What?"

"Do you trust me?"

"Yes." His confusion undermines his conviction, so he clears his throat. "Yes, Bella. I trust you completely."

"Okay." She scratches her denim-clad knee. "Because there's... there's something I need to do, something that needs to happen, and I... I'm not doing it to be cruel; I need you to know that. I just... It needs to happen." She looks up. "Do you still trust me?"

He nods once. "Yes, Bella."

"Okay, then."

When Bella looks away, Edward looks around, half-expecting Charlie or Billy Black to emerge from the trees to attack him. But the surrounding forest is still, save a gentle breeze, and with the exception of a chorus of birds overhead, it is also silent.

Until an image of a stringy-haired, sallow-faced Bella floods Edward's mind, and he leaps backward off the log and drops into a growling crouch. "What the hell was that?"

"That was Rose," Bella says.

"Rosalie?" Edward scans the area frantically. "What is she doing here?"

"She is showing you what she found when she came to Forks," Bella murmurs. "What my life was like without you and what... and what it would have..."

Edward's eyes widen, and he drops to the ground, his gaze never leaving Bella's. "What it would have been like if I had never come back."

"Yes." Bella clears her throat of a tremor. "Yes."

Edward nods, licking his suddenly dry lips. "Okay."

"Okay?"

"Yes." He laces his fingers together. "Show me, Rosalie. Show me everything."

Deep in the forest, Emmett holds me tighter as my eyes water. "I'm sorry," I whisper to Edward.

"It's all right," he whispers back.

Then I close my eyes and open my mind.

I show him the moment Bella pulled into the driveway, how she could barely close the truck door with her hip. I show him the first night I crept into her room, the dead look in her eyes as she looked at me. I show him her thrashing and weeping in bed and Charlie's inability to comfort her.

I show him her panicked confusion when she realized I was real and her outright hysteria when I asked her to take a shower. I show him her reaction when I tried to open the window and my reaction when I found out what he did that day in the forest.

I show him our conversation with Charlie in the kitchen and the incident with Lauren Mallory at the tree lot. I show him the detour to our old house and the moment I suggest we call him. I show him Bella's reaction to hearing his voice and her sitting with the things he hid under the floor boards.

I show him every tear, every tantrum, and every time she looked as if she might shatter at any moment.

I show him everything.

Edward doesn't move as I unburden myself in his mind. His blazing eyes shift from gold to black with the very first memory, and as Bella watches him watching her life without him, tears roll down her face unbidden, and she wraps her arms around herself for stability.

Indeed, it is only Emmett's arms that are holding me together as I relive my initial return to Forks.

When at last I reach the moment when I leave the Swan's house and return my tree, I shut down my mind, and Edward gasps aloud, the ragged sound causing Bella to yelp in fright. She places a hand atop her racing heart, her widened eyes still on Edward, waiting for his response.

But he says nothing.

He says nothing and does nothing.

He has not looked away from her for a single moment since my painful paseo down memory lane began, and now that my journey has come to an end, still he stares, his black gaze fixed on her face. His eyes glisten, his mouth trembles, but he says not a word. I fear he has gone into shock, and based on what he has just seen, I can hardly blame him.

Then Bella sniffles, unable to contain herself any longer, and Edward blinks back to life. His brows furrow, his mouth drops open, and he rushes forward, enveloping Bella in his arms.

"Oh, my love," he whispers into her hair. "My precious love... I am so sorry."

At first, Bella doesn't respond, the shock of his sudden movement rendering her immobile. She is so stiff in his arms, he wonders if she is about to push him away.

But when his voice cracks as he groans her name against the top of her head, Bella breaks, going limp in his arms as months of tears and torment gush from her eyes. She moans his name, beats his chest, and openly laments everything they lost since the moment she cut her finger. The more she cries, the tighter he holds her, whispering apologies and assurances into her hair as they fall apart together.

"I can never make this up to you," he mutters tearfully. "No time in the world would be enough to do so. My God, I can't even imagine you would want me to try, that you would want me at all."

Bella mumbles unintelligibly into his shoulder, and Edward takes a deep breath.

"But Bella... Bella, please want me again. Please let me love you again. Love you more, love you better, love you as you are... I promise I will never lie to you, never let fear or doubt or anything else come between us again. And Bella, if you let me in again, if you can... if you could find it in your heart to trust me again, I will never, ever leave you. Ever."

"You..." Bella looks up, her heart in her eyes. "You promise?"

He swallows hard to steady his voice. "I swear on your very life, on your precious, precious life."

Bella looks into his eyes—his dark, haunted eyes—and she says nothing for a terribly long time. And though he trembles inside, Edward allows the search, laying his very soul bare for her inspection. He knows not what she seeks, what she expects, or even what she sees.

He knows only that whatever she sees, she sees it with a clarity that compels her to slowly lift her hand from his chest and lay it flush against his cool cheek, stroking its smoothness with her thumb.

The feel of her warm skin against his fills Edward to overflowing, and it takes his full concentration not to close his eyes and savor the sensation. Instead his own gaze softens, his face awash in awe, and he rests his hand atop hers, fighting a different kind of tears when Bella closes her eyes and sighs.

"Okay," she says, lacing their fingers together. "Okay."

At that moment, Emmett whisks me back toward the house, and I am so overwhelmed that I practically collapse in his arms. I will later find out what happens next between my brother and my best friend, later bear intimate witness and lend my assistance to smoothing over the rocky road they must now travel.

But right now, while they are together in the very place where it all fell apart, I release the breath I have been holding since December and let the peace of what has happened flood my parched soul.

It has truly been a long time comin', and now I know a change is gonna come.

* * *

 **The next update will be the epilogue to this extended epilogue, and then WHWD will be officially done. Someone said it's like the end of an era, and that's exactly how it feels to me. I can't even process it yet, so I'll save that for the last chapter.**

 **Thank you so much for reading—see you soon! XOXO**


	75. Chapter 75

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything in the Twiverse. I'm just playing around in** _ **New Moon**_ **with Rosalie.**

 **A few things before I get to the thing I really need to get to. If you want to skip this and just get to the chapter, feel free to come back:**

 **1\. Someone nominated "What Have We Done?" for TWO Twific Fandom Awards last month! I didn't make it past the first round, but I was really touched by the gesture, so thank you!**

 **2\. This is a bittersweet update because it's not only the last chapter of WHWD but also my last fic for a while. I know I was working on a high school fic and still have the "Black Ice" saga to finish... someday... but after hitting 40, I realized I can't write the way I do now and pursue my life's main goals at the same time. I had to choose, and I chose to lay down my keyboard for now.**

 **3\. This is so bittersweet for me that I've reached the point where I can't even read this chapter anymore without getting sad. So please pardon any editing errors. I just wanted to get this to you as soon as possible.**

 **So with all that in mind, please enjoy this final—and longest—chapter of "What Have We Done?"**

* * *

 **Undoing What's Been Done**

 **Part 18 - Conclusion**

Bella and Edward sit wrapped in each other's arms on the forest floor, hearts and mind on one accord. The entwined hands on Edward's face have moved down to the space above Bella's chest, and with their foreheads touching, Edward closes his eyes to savor the life-saving music her heart plays.

"What are you doing?" Bella murmurs after a while, her voice drowsy with contentment.

"Breathing." He brushes butterfly kisses against her skin. "For the first time in my life, I am finally breathing."

Bella snuggles closer to him on a sigh. "And I am finally breathing again."

Time seems to stand still out of respect for their reunion, and even the surrounding forest takes the hint. The breeze is gentler, the birdsongs softer, and the hard ground beneath them may as well be a blanket of wildflowers. For these precious moments, there is nothing outside of them, nothing against them, and nothing between them but the tender buds of renewing love.

And right now, that is all they need.

*** W – H – W – D ***

Midafternoon gives way to cooler winds, and when Bella begins to shiver, Edward pats her arms. "Time to get you warm."

She snuggles closer. "I'm plenty warm."

"But you have exams this week." He nuzzles her temple with his nose. "And I know you planned to study today."

She pulls back to look at him. "How do you know?"

"Because I know you."

The words are simple but say so much. And when Bella kisses Edward's cheek in reply, there is no need for him to say anything more. Instead he comes to his feet, extending his hands to help her do the same. Once upright, Bella laces their fingers together, and with sweet smiles, they take the familiar path back to the street.

"I see Charlie's not home yet," Edward says with no small measure of relief. "That's probably best."

"For now." Bella squeezes his hand. "I want the chance to tell him about this on my terms. Not have some showdown in the driveway."

Edward ducks his head. "I'm sorry my showing up the other day made things worse for you. I was only..."

"Stop." Bella places a finger against his lips. "No more apologizing."

"Sorry." He kisses her finger, and she drops her hand, blushing to her roots. He trails a gentle finger along the curve of her jaw, the color on her cheeks deepening. "God, I missed that."

"And there will be plenty more." She sighs into his cupped hand. "But you're right. I do need to go study."

"Okay."

Neither of them makes any move to separate, and Bella shakes her head. "I don't want to ask you to leave."

"And I don't want to go." He strokes her cheek. "But it's much easier knowing that you want me to come back."

"I will always want you to come back."

"And I will always come back." He inches closer. "I will be whatever you want."

"Be here." Bella's gaze drops to his mouth. "Just be you and be here."

Edward hesitates just a moment for bending to meet her. When their lips finally touch, the earth itself breathes a sigh of wonder and relief.

And back at home, Alice squeals so loudly a crystal vase shatters in the foyer.

But for some reason, Esme doesn't seem to mind.

*** W – H – W – D ***

True to her word, Bella ensures that Charlie does not come home to the sight of her and Edward making out on the porch. Though if not for Edward's keen hearing, they surely would have gotten caught. The first kiss of their new lives began chastely, but after months of deprivation, despair, and doubt, it quickly increased in ardor.

Not that anyone could blame them.

Well, anyone except Charlie.

Which is why Edward flies into the forest upon hearing the backfiring police cruiser a quarter-mile away, and Bella rushes upstairs to her room, tossing books, notepads, and pens on her bed in an attempt to look studious.

Charlie buys the ruse when he knocks on her door a few minutes after coming home, offering to pick up something from the diner so she won't have to cook.

"Any requests?" he asks.

"Do they still have mushroom ravioli?"

"Mushroom ravioli?" Charlie blinks in surprise. "I thought you couldn't... or wouldn't... eat that."

Bella nibbles on her bottom lip. "I, um... I didn't think you'd remember that."

"I remember everything about that time in our lives, Bella." Charlie's voice deepens with feeling. "Don't think I'll ever forget it."

"No. Me neither." Charlie turns to walk away, and Bella pauses. "Um, Dad?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you... do you think that someday you could... maybe be able to move past it?" She folds her hands when he turns around. "Or at least try?"

Charlie stares at Bella for a long time, his brown eyes unreadable. "Does this mean that... that you two have..."

"Yes." She cannot quell a small smile. "Edward and I have worked things out."

Charlie curses under his breath. "I knew this was going to happen."

"I didn't," Bella murmurs. "I never thought I would see him again... let alone want to see him. Let alone forgive him."

"Then why did you?" Charlie looks up with anguished eyes. "Why did you give that boy a chance to hurt you again?"

"Because I love him." She climbs off the bed and comes to stand in front of Charlie. "I know that's hard for you to hear, and I... I wish I could give you another explanation, but that's... that's really what this all comes down to. I love Edward, faults and all, and I want to give us another chance."

"And what if he leaves again?"

"He won't."

"How do you know?"

"Because I believe in him."

"That's not the same as knowing for sure."

"No, but do any of us know anything for sure?"

"I know for sure he doesn't deserve you." Charlie's voice catches. "I know for sure neither that boy nor his family have the first clue about how special you are, and I know for damn sure that it'll be a good long time before I'll be able to stand the sight of any of them except Rosalie."

"I know. And because I know that, I promise I won't flaunt our relationship in your face or try to convince you that Edward has changed. I won't ask you to be nice to him or even to believe in him the way I do. I will only ask you not to stand in our way."

"Bells, I... I would never want to stand in your way. You know that."

"I know. But the minute someone sees us together again, the talk is going to start. And I know you're going to hear it too, especially from people like Billy Black and that busybody, Mrs. Mallory."

"I don't want you worrying about that. I'm a grown man and can take care of myself."

"And so can I, Dad. At least, in this situation, I want to."

Charlie doesn't reply, and Bella steps closer. "Dad, Edward and I have both changed over the past several months, and it's going to take time for us to get to know each other again, to see if it will even work this time. But I don't want to feel like I have to sneak to see him or that I'm doing something wrong when I do see him because you don't approve. I'm not really asking you to approve or even pretend that you do. I just don't want..."

"You just don't want me to stand in your way."

"Yes." Bella searches his eyes. "Is that... I mean, can you do that?"

Charlie stares at his daughter for a long time, seeing not the sad girl he couldn't reach for all those months but the strong woman now asking her father for support. And though he wants to run over that Cullen boy with his cruiser... twice... he cannot ignore the courage it takes for Bella to ask this of him.

To ask this of herself again.

"I can try." Charlie pulls her in for a hug, his eyes watering. "For you, Bells, I will damn sure try."

And he does.

The next day when Edward drives Bella to school for the first time, the news spreads around Forks like wildfire, and Charlie gets singed by the blaze. Several well-meaning townspeople—and a few who just like to gossip—drag him into animated discussions about the reunion and offer the chief unsolicited opinions on what to do about it. By the time Charlie pulls into his driveway that night, he has all but had it with the name "Edward."

But when he finds the so-named boy watching a movie in the living room with Bella and sees the content smile on his daughter's face, Charlie swallows his ire and tosses a gruff-but-not-aggressive grunt in the boy's general direction.

Edward and Bella breathe a sigh of relief, and with that, their reunion seems off to a fine start.

And not just at the Swan residence.

No one in Cullen Country can deny the changes in Edward since his reconciliation with Bella and the work with Eleazar that largely made that possible. Edward is lighter, calmer, and much easier to be around. And every time he meets Bella in their meadow for an afternoon picnic or whisks her to Seattle to explore its nightlife, the whole house could explode with joy.

But no one more than Carlisle, Esme, and Alice.

Seeing Edward comfortable enough with himself to enjoy his life with Bella is everything they have hoped for since realizing he loved the human girl. No, they didn't expect to see it from such a distance, but they are nevertheless grateful for the view.

"She has been more than gracious," Esme says to me after Bella sets off on another date with Edward. "The way we left her was unconscionable, and our attempts to justify it were worse."

"And she has forgiven you for all that."

"Has she?" The pain in her voice betrays her, and Esme looks away. "Forgive me. I don't mean to exploit your friendship with Bella by asking about..."

"You aren't," I reply gently. "And to answer your question, yes. Bella has decided to put the pain of the past behind her."

"But..."

"But what that looks like going forward is much more difficult to say in some cases."

"You mean for Carlisle, Alice, and me."

I touch her arm. "It's not intentional, Esme. Remember what Carmen said before she went back home: Bella has changed a lot in the past several months, and every close relationship she had before then has been effected. The only reason she and I get along so easily is that I openly despised her before."

"Yet you have become her best friend in the entire world."

"Which means anything can happen." I kiss my mother's cheek. "Just give it time. Things will change for the better, you'll see."

And a few weeks later, they do.

One afternoon, Bella knocks on our door and asks to see Esme and Alice. I hear their gasps of shock and delight from my position in the living room and am impressed when they come downstairs wearing relatively chaste expressions.

"Hello, Bella." Esme smiles. "It's so nice to see you again."

"Hi, Esme. Alice." She nods at both of them. "I, um... I need your help with something."

"Whatever you want, Bella," Alice replies quickly, barely able to contain her excitement.

"Good. Well, as you might know, the Forks High Senior Prom is a few weeks away, and after much consideration, I have decided to go."

"Really?" the three of us cry in unison, and Bella joins our light laughter.

"You can imagine why we're shocked," I say.

"I'm shocked myself." Bella takes a seat on the couch. "And up until yesterday, I'd been dead-set against it."

"What changed?" Esme asks.

Bella huffs. "Lauren Mallory."

A growl rumbles in my chest. "What did that heffa do now?"

"I overheard her in the bathroom talking crap about me, saying it's only a matter of time before Edward gets bored with me again and moves on to someone worthy of him." Bella shakes her head. "Someone more like her."

Alice leans in. "You want us to slash her tires?"

Bella smiles. "No, but I appreciate the offer."

"So you're going to the prom to show Lauren that you and Edward are closer than ever?" Esme asks.

"Yes. To show her, Mike Newton, Coach Clapp, and everyone else in that building that this is my life, I am living it on my terms, and if they don't like it, they can suck it."

"And suck it hard," Esme adds. "Talking about you two like that..."

"Well, this is where you come in." Bella looks at the three of us. "I want you all to come with me."

Three pairs of golden eyes widen. "All of us?" Alice asks.

"All of you. And your mates, too. I want all eight of us to walk into that prom together, daring someone to say something."

"That's..." Esme clears her throat. "That's not what I expected you to ask."

"Me either," Alice says. "Not that I was looking."

Bella notices their tight expressions and frowns. "Is something wrong?"

I turn to Bella. "I think... I think they're worried about someone else's reaction. Someone else who doesn't seem to like them much anymore."

"Someone else who..." Bella nods. "You mean Charlie."

"We have the utmost respect for your father, Bella," Esme says. "And would never want to do anything to make him feel affronted."

Bella waves them off. "Don't worry about him. He's coming too!"

"What?" Emmett rushes in from the garage. "Let me find out Chief Swan's gonna bust out his breakdancing moves!"

Bella chuckles. "I don't know about all that, but he's pretty tired of all the wagging tongues in this town as well. When I told him my idea, he said he would put in a brief appearance."

Esme clasps her hands. "What an amazing dad you have."

"Yeah, he's the best." She looks at us. "So does that mean you're in?"

"Of course we're in!" Alice shrieks for the lot of us, coming to her feet with slightly less commotion. "Thank you for inviting us, Bella. This is gonna be awesome!"

And it is.

It is one thing for the entire Cullen clan and Chief Swan to show up at the senior prom. It is quite another for Bella Swan to arrive with Edward Cullen on her arm.

It is something else altogether for Bella to be wearing an electric blue knee-length dress with high-top blue chucks.

"You look divine," Edward whispers in her ear, mindful of the chief's nearness.

"I feel divine," she replies as he kisses her cheek. "Now let's turn this mutha out."

"Don't have to tell me twice!" Emmett cries, twirling me onto the dance floor.

"Shall we?" Jasper asks Alice, and she curtsies her reply.

"After you, Ms. Swan," Edward murmurs.

Bella clasps his hand. " _With_ me, Mr. Cullen."

Charlie hangs back with Carlisle and Esme, their smiles identical as they watch their children enjoy themselves and ignore the great shock of the Forks High populace.

"I never thought this day would come," Charlie says almost to himself. "Was pretty sure I didn't want it to."

Carlisle turns to him and wisely keeps silent.

"She's so young and has already been through so much, and I just want her to be safe and happy and loved." He pauses when Bella's laughter rings out and looks up to see Edward spin and dip her. "But who am I to say who or what she needs in her life?"

"She needs you, Charlie," Carlisle says.

"And she will always have me." Charlie meets Carlisle's eyes before glancing at the dance floor. "But it's pretty clear I'm not the only one she needs. And I am learning to be okay with that. Well, trying to learn anyway." Ms. Cope waves at Charlie from across the room, and he nods in her direction. "I'm gonna say hi to Shelly."

Carlisle watches him go, and when he's out of earshot, Esme releases a heavy sigh. "Oh, thank God."

"Yes." Carlisle rubs her back. "That was a pleasant surprise."

Esme lays a hand over her heart. "And about as much surprise as I'll need for a while."

It turns out, however, that "a while" barely lasts a week.

The following Wednesday, Edward texts Bella during her lunch period, asking her to meet him in the parking lot. She heads out to the Volvo, her smile faltering when she sees him leaned against it with a tight expression. "Edward?"

"I'm sorry to interrupt your day." Edward takes her hands and stands her between his legs. "But this news could not wait."

"What is it?"

Edward meets her eyes. "Victoria is dead."

"What?" Bella blinks, her brain struggling to keep up. "Wh... what happened?"

"She apparently reached out to Laurent, seeking to avenge James' death. Laurent let her believe he wanted to help and instead led her into a trap where Tanya, Kate, and Irina were waiting. Victoria never had a chance."

Bella blinks at Edward, her brain struggling to sort it out. "Why would Laurent do that? I mean, I'm grateful he did. I just don't understand."

"He always resented James and Victoria's recklessness and especially disapproved of James' decision to target you for sport." Edward growls under his breath, and Bella strokes his chest to calm him. "Laurent thought our clan was strange, unorthodox even, but felt it was our right to live as we choose. Once he met Irina and found peace with her in Denali, our family became his family, and he wanted to protect us at all costs. So sometime last year, he worked with Eleazar and Tanya to create a contingency plan for eliminating Victoria in case she ever reached out to him."

"Wow." Bella shakes her head. "And she did."

"She did. And just as Laurent thought, her arrogance and belief in Laurent's gullibility was the key to taking her down."

"So she's dead."

"She's dead."

"So that means..." A hesitant smile graces Bella's face. "It's over?"

"It's all over."

"Oh my god." Bella throws her arms around Edward's neck, and a few tears slip out. "I can't believe it. Honestly, I was honestly too depressed to even think about Victoria when you left, but knowing she's dead is still a..." She pulls back to look at him, noting the dejection in his eyes. "I'm not saying that to hurt you."

"I know. And I don't ever want you downplaying the horror of those days for my benefit." He runs his hands up and down her arms. "But it still hurts to think of you in so much pain, especially knowing I caused it."

"I know." Bella rests her forehead against his. "I know."

A bittersweet silence envelops them, and they surrender to it, reveling in the wordless peace of being together. With Victoria dead, they have one less reminder of their worst days and one more reason to believe their best ones lie ahead.

But even at their most optimistic, neither Bella nor Edward could have predicted just how good those best days would be.

Or how they would come about.

*** W – H – W – D ***

For the most part, Bella's high school graduation is just like any other graduation. Ugly robes are worn, trite speeches delivered, and insincere promises to be friends forever are given. Bella poses for obligatory photos with her classmates, and I manage not to throat-punch Lauren Mallory when she asks Bella to sign her yearbook.

Yes, Bella's graduation is pretty typical.

With one notable, surprising exception.

Carmen returns to Forks for Bella's graduation and brings her entire family with her. Carlisle introduces the Denali clan to Bella's parents and cannot help but notice the way Charlie's gaze lingers on Kate, the middle of the three blonde sisters.

Nor does Esme miss how Kate's golden eyes deepen in color as she smiles in the chief's direction.

So it comes as no great surprise to my parents when Kate decides to stay in Forks longer than the rest of the family, citing an interest in fauna unavailable in Alaska. Nor do they wonder why we find the chief's cruiser pulling out of our driveway one night the following week.

They do wonder, though, how Bella is completely unaware of what's happening.

Sure, she's too wrapped up in Edward—and the freedom escaping high school can bring—to be aware of much else, but surely she must notice Charlie whistling throughout the day, spending less time in front of the television, and smelling like something other than eau de Miller Lite.

But she does not.

So I'm the one deputized—if you'll pardon the pun—to call Bella in the middle of July and warn her after Charlie has a certain conversation with Kate that changes his perspective on everything and everyone he thinks he knows.

"Wait, wait..." Bella stammers through my hasty explanation. "Charlie and Kate are dating?"

"Yes."

"Kate, your vegetarian cousin from Alaska?"

I huff in amused exasperation. "Yes!"

"This whole time?" Bella turns to Edward who is sitting on her bed. "Did you know about this?"

He nods. "I just didn't know how to..."

"Focus, Bella!" I shout into the phone to regain her attention. "Charlie and Kate have been dating since your graduation, but that is not tonight's headline."

"Right. Sorry." Bella closes her eyes and exhales. "How did this happen? Kate's confession, I mean."

"Well, like his daughter, Chief Swan is very observant—shifts in eye color with Kate's mood, her constant lack of appetite, certain movements that were just too quick."

"But what made her tell him the truth?"

"Because like my brother, Kate is in love with a human and didn't want to lie anymore."

"Wow." Bella sinks onto the bed beside Edward. "So she told him everything?"

"Ev-er-y-thing."

"Oh my god." Bella sinks onto her bed. "Did she mention your family?"

"She didn't have to," I reply. "Once Kate described her lifestyle and habits, Charlie outed us on his own."

"Was he angry?"

"Not exactly. Kate said he was shocked, of course, confused, and overwhelmed. And that he needed some time to process."

"I know the feeling."

"He also said he needed to see you right away."

A car door slams in the Swan driveway, and Bella winces. "He's here."

"It'll be okay," I tell her. "Stay calm, let him lead the conversation, and whatever happens... know that we'll be here to help you get through it. Edward?"

He takes the phone from Bella as they rush downstairs. "Yes?"

"That goes for you, too. Okay?"

"I know, Rose. We love you, too."

They enter the living room just as Charlie bursts into the house. "Bella! Bella, I need to talk to you!"

"I'm here, Dad." Bella steps into the hallway, folding her hands in front of her. "We both are."

"You both are." Charlie looks behind her at Edward, his eyes wide. "Is it true?"

Edward holds Charlie's gaze. "Yes."

"Yes." Charlie drags a hand down his face, failing to hide its tremor. "So you're... you're a..."

"A vampire," Edward says calmly. "Yes."

"Yes. Right." Charlie looks at Bella. "How long have you known?"

"Since Jess and I went prom dress shopping in Port Angeles..."

"Port Angeles," Charlie echoes.

"...last year," Bella says.

"Last year!" Charlie cries. "You've known that he and... and his whole family were... that they were... God, I can't even say it..."

"I've known for more than a year, yes," Bella says. "But I wasn't allowed to say anything to you or anyone else. Truthfully, neither is Kate. She just put herself in great danger."

"What do you mean?"

"Humans are not supposed to know of our existence," Edward says quietly. "It is the most important rule for our kind. And breaking that rule is a capital offense."

"A capital offen..." Charlie's eyes widen. "You mean, Kate could lose her life for telling me the truth?"

"If our governing body learns that she told you, yes."

He throws up his hands. "Then why would she tell me?"

"Didn't Kate explain why she told you, Dad?" Bella asks.

"I don't know! I mean, everything after 'I'm a vampire' is kind of a blur."

"Of course," Bella says. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize, honey." Charlie looks at her tenderly. "I just... when I realized the truth about her also applied to... to them, all I could think about was getting home and making sure you were safe. The thought of you being here alone with a vampire was..."

"Terrifying," Edward says. "I understand that fear better than you think."

Charlie snorts. "I seriously doubt that."

"He does, Dad." Bella stands beside Edward and laces their fingers together. "I know it might sound crazy, but the fear of something happening to me is what almost tore us apart."

Charlie gapes at Edward. "Is... is that why you left her?"

"Yes." Edward strokes the back of Bella's hand. "I was wrong to do what I did, but yes, I left because I thought she would be safer without me, and I couldn't take the risk anymore."

Charlie stares at Edward, words failing as his perspective on the past completely shifts. He drags himself to the living room and plops into his recliner. "Son, I... I think you'd better start from the beginning."

Edward looks at Bella who nods. "Okay," he says. "But it's a long story."

Charlie chuckles dryly. "Well, from what I understand, you've got the time."

*** W – H – W – D ***

"My god." By the time Edward describes his return to Forks, Charlie is standing by the window shaking his head. "That was... well, it was a hell of a lot more than I expected."

"I'm sure." Edward still holds to Bella's hand. "And I'm sure you have questions."

"That's an understatement."

"I'm sorry I couldn't tell you, Dad." Bella goes to her father, stopping just behind him. "Knowing all of this, any of this, would have made things so much easier on you sometimes, but it..."

"It also would have put me in danger." He turns to half-smile at his daughter. "I understand that, Bells."

"But I'm really glad you know now. And I'm happy to answer any questions you might have."

Edward comes to his feet. "We both are."

"I appreciate that. Especially since I have no one else to talk to about this." He shakes his head. "I can only imagine what Billy would say if I told him. Good thing it's a secret, huh?"

"Yeah." Bella tucks her hair behind her ears. "Good thing."

Edward groans inside as Bella's nervous tone does not go unnoticed by her father. "What do you mean by that?"

Bella looks at Charlie. "By what?"

"By what you just..." Charlie turns sharply to Edward. "The Quileutes don't like your family. Never have."

Edward nods. "The fissure between us runs deep."

"So do they... do they know what you are?"

"Yes."

"And that's why they don't like you."

Edward hesitates but only Bella notices. "That is the simplest explanation, yes."

"But there's more to it than that."

"Yes."

Charlie studies Edward. "And I don't want to know what that is, do I?"

"Whether you do or not," Edward replies. "It isn't my place to say more than I have already said."

"Wow. I... I don't even know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything," Bella says. "This is a lot, and it'll take some time to all make sense."

"Yeah, I know." Charlie rubs his chest. "It's just... I feel so strange."

"You have heard a lot of strange things tonight," Edward says.

"No, that's not... I mean, yes, I've heard some strange things. Some really, really strange things, but I... I'm not..." Charlie blows out a harsh breath. "I guess I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop."

Bella snorts. "Other than the fact that your girlfriend and your daughter's boyfriend are both vampires?"

"I mean for me, emotionally. Because yeah, I was alarmed and scared and confused when Kate first told me, and I needed to see you just to help myself get anchored, I guess. But now that I've heard the truth from Edward too... I keep waiting to freak out."

"So you're not freaked out?" Edward asks.

Charlie shakes his head. "Not that I can tell anyway."

Edward and Bella share a glance, and a tender smile spreads across Bella's face. "Wow."

"What?"

"Well..." Bella begins. "I don't want to assume anything or put words in your mouth, but when I found out the truth about Edward, I wasn't scared either."

"You weren't?"

"Not at all. He and his entire family kept waiting for me to flip out or want to get as far away from him as humanly possible, but..." She smiles at Edward who goes to stand beside her. "They finally realized that wasn't going to happen."

"Why not? How can you be so sure?"

Bella looks at her father. "Because he's my mate."

"Your mate?" Charlie breathes the word. "I've... I've heard that term before."

"From Kate?"

Charlie nods. "Right before she told me, she was talking about your parents, Edward. Well, Carlisle and Esme. How Esme was... was human when Carlisle first met her?"

"Yes."

"And how Carlisle felt being away from Esme once he knew he loved her." Charlie looked down. "Kate said lying to your mate is the second only to the pain of being away from them."

"It is excruciating," Edward murmurs. "You feel as if you're being burned alive and ripped apart all at once. Few are they who survive it for long."

Bella kisses the back of Edward's hand while Charlie turns to the window again. The room falls thickly silent, Charlie eventually breaking it with a sigh.

"My rational mind wants to object," Charlie says. "To grab my daughter and get the hell away from this town, this truth, and... and everything that comes with both. That's what logic demands, what any sane person would do. Hell, what I would tell someone else to do if I was on the outside looking in."

"And that makes sense," Bella says.

"But the thought of leaving Kate, of never seeing her again... I don't think I could bear it. Whether she's human or a vampire or moonlights as leviathan, I just want to be with her." He faces them with glassy eyes. "So I think... I think I have to go."

"Oh, Dad..." Bella rushes across the room and hugs him. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Bells." He looks over her shoulder at Edward. "And even though I'm sure about Kate, I'm also sure this isn't the last conversation we'll be having about this."

And it isn't.

Not by a long shot.

Charlie's natural curiosity results in many random calls—usually to Kate or me—about one aspect of our nature or another. Questions about Bella and Edward's relationship are directed only at his daughter, while Cullen-specific inquiries are addressed to Carlisle. So intense and varied are the chief's queries that Carlisle asks Edward to warn him when Charlie's thoughts are particularly inquisitive so our sire has time to prepare.

"If I thought Aro would allow it," Carlisle confides to me. "I would tell Charlie to call him!"

As it stands, mention of the Volturi leads to the next looming decision on the horizon:

To become or not to become.

For Charlie, there is no debate. He loves Kate and wants a full life with her. With Bella finished high school and few other commitments to speak of, there is nothing stop Charlie from making the ultimate commitment.

Bella, however, is not as ready.

"I love you," she tells Edward when the subject is broached. "But I also want to enjoy college without fighting the urge to drink my classmates. I just... I need a little more time."

"There's no rush," Edward replies. "As long as you're with me, it doesn't matter what form you're in."

"I do want to be near Charlie, though. Even though I won't be able to see him while he gets adjusted, I won't be able to focus at Dartmouth for worrying about what's happening in Denali."

"So what do you want to do?"

Bella grins. "They have schools in Alaska, don't they?"

And thanks to Jasper's occasional clerk, Mr. Jenks, the Class of 2010 at the University of Alaska Fairbanks has a new student. Jenks asks no questions when Jasper not only requests off-campus housing but also asks that another student be admitted as well.

A ballsy blonde student who likes to hang out in trees.

"I never enjoyed college in the past because I never had a friend there. It'd be nice to do things differently this time around." I gently blow air across my fingertips as Bella finishes my manicure. "No offense, Alice."

"None taken." Alice wiggles her freshly painted toes. "We don't do well in academic settings."

I smile at my sister then turn to Bella. "Is everything all set with Renee?"

"Yep. She gets here Friday to help me pack and will stay with us for the first few days on campus. I think she's more excited about this than I am."

"What did you tell her about the house in Forks?" Alice asks.

"That Charlie has decided to retire and wants to do so in a new place." She tightens the cap on the nail polish bottle. "With a new woman."

Alice shakes her head. "I still can't believe he and Kate are mated. Even I didn't see that coming."

"Me either. But knowing I'll get to keep Charlie in my life forever is about the best thing that could have happened." She glances at Alice. "Do you think he'll change much afterwards?"

"He'll definitely change," Alice says gently. "But not in a bad way."

"Good."

"And there's one important thing that will never change." I put my arm around Bella. "No matter what else happens, I will always be his favorite Cullen."

Alice rolls her eyes as Bella shrugs out of my embrace, and they exit the room together.

"I don't hear anyone disagreeing with me though!" I call after them.

*** W – H – W – D ***

Charlie and Bella plan to leave Forks in the middle of August, soundtracked by Renee's prattling about one item or another. She and Charlie have an amicable if awkward post-divorce relationship, the latter due almost entirely to Renee's inability to edit before she speaks. Every thought that pops into her head finds its way out of her mouth, and Charlie has been too long out of practice to find the trait endearing. He practically kisses me when I arrive on the second day to run interference. Living with Alice for the past fifty-plus years has numbed my annoyance with mindless chatter.

But don't tell her I said that.

At his makeshift farewell party at the station, Charlie leaves a forwarding address should anyone decide to keep in touch, wisely using a PO Box to discourage the possibility of visitors. His retirement comes as a great shock to the entire town, as does the minimal notice, but no one can deny the light in his eyes when he talks about his future in Alaska or looks at Kate.

Well, almost no one.

Aware of Billy Black's attitude toward the Cullens, Charlie opts to inform him of his permanent departure in person, thinking the courtesy would curry some favor with his oldest friend.

But when Charlie mentions the Cullen cousin who has stolen his heart, Billy slams his hand on the kitchen table between them.

"You cannot do this." Billy practically growls the words. "If you knew what kind of people they really were..."

"I do know," Charlie whispers fiercely. "And I respect how carefully they live and how hard they work not to become the monsters they could be."

Billy stares blankly at his friend, his mouth working without sound for some time. "They... they told you? Everything?"

"They told me the truth about themselves." Charlie holds Billy's gaze. "And nothing more."

"They had that decency at least," he mutters.

"I don't want to part on bad terms here, Billy," Charlie says. "Whatever animosity lies between your families doesn't have to ruin our relationship, does it?"

Billy leans forward. "Are you planning to join that woman in immortality?"

"Yes."

Billy looks at Charlie coldly. "Then there is no more to say."

He backs away from the table and turns sharply toward the rear of the house, slamming the bedroom door behind him. Pulling out a pad from his pocket with a heavy sigh, Charlie scribbles his new address and phone number.

"Just in case you change your mind," he writes.

But as he tears the page out of his notepad, Charlie already knows Billy won't. He closes the door on his old friend's house and on that part of his life for the final time.

And if the chief sheds a few tears on the drive home, well, that's between him and the road.

*** W – H – W – D ***

The new family residence is only two miles from the Denali compound, but our college campus is more than two hours away by car-driven-at-human-speed. During a pre-semester test run, I manage to get us home in a half hour, but Bella nearly loses her lunch because I drive so fast.

And Edward nearly loses his mind.

So our parents buy a place in town where Edward and Emmett plan to spend most of their time. Renee, to my surprise, is totally fine with this arrangement when she comes to help us set up our apartment, thinking it completely natural for our boyfriends to want to be so close.

"Besides." She fluffs yet another throw pillow for our couch. "You'll need their protection up here."

"From what?" Bella asks.

"Polar bears. I watch the Discovery Channel! I know what kind of creatures like the cold, and you don't have the coordination to outrun anything, sweetie."

I smirk at Bella. "That's true."

"So with the boys only a few blocks away," Renee continues, "there's no need to fear anything that might go bump in the night."

I try not to laugh at the double entendre, and Bella looks at her mother. "Mom, you do know that Rose and I are perfectly capable of taking care of ourselves."

"Of course I know that!" She gives the pillow a final pat before facing her daughter. "You were raised by a modern woman who taught you how to be independent. But you don't want your boyfriend to know that, at least not to the point where he feels unnecessary."

"Gotta that take care of that fragile male ego," I say.

"Exactly. So let the boys come over every now and then to 'protect you.' " She grins through the air quotes. "It'll do wonders for your relationship."

Bella straightens the ottoman. "Any other advice?"

"Yes. Find yourself a good tanning salon. Everyone here is so washed out." She looks between us. "And Rose, you may want to go with her. You're starting to look at little pale yourself, honey."

"Am I?" I gasp and cover my cheeks. "Do you think it's contagious?"

Bella rolls her eyes at me, but Renee looks concerned. "Well, if it is, I suppose there are worse things in life. Now, let's go hang curtains in the bedrooms."

Renee whistles her way down the hall, and I sidle up to Bella. "You're welcome."

"For what?"

"For planting the idea that paleness is contagious," I whisper. "So the next time Renee sees Charlie, she won't be wondering what happened to him. Or to you, whenever you decide to change."

Bella's brow wrinkles. "Is that why you said that?"

"Yes. I needed to see how gullible she is."

"Why?"

"Because human naïveté helps us keep our secret. Most humans notice the things that make us different, but most of them believe whatever we say to explain those oddities. You didn't, and Charlie didn't, so I needed to know if Renee would."

"You're a goddess." Bella wraps her arms around me. "Thank you."

"Thank Edward. It was his idea to test her, see if she'd be a problem after your change."

"Wow." Bella blushes. "I can't believe he's thinking of that now."

"He's always thinking of that, of anything that has anything to do with you." I shake my head. "You'd think he was in love with you or something."

"Girls!" Renee calls from down the hall. "These drapes won't hang themselves."

"Coming!" we yell back.

*** W – H – W – D ***

Bella and I settle into college life with relative ease, our respective majors in English and psychology landing us in many of the same basic courses. Whatever insecurities Bella might have in other areas of her life completely disappear in the lecture hall, and I am often astounded by the quickness and nuance of her thoughts.

No wonder Edward wishes he could read her mind.

We sail through the first semester without a hitch, our matching perfect GPAs giving Bella no small measure of satisfaction. But as the Christmas holiday approaches, her yuletide cheer is a bit subdued.

"I want to be there," she says for the umpteenth time. "This is the biggest decision you will ever make, and I cannot believe you're trying to shut me out of it."

"This is not about shutting you out," Charlie replies patiently. "But from what I understand, this transition will be excruciating for me, and I do not want you there to see it."

Bella looks at Edward. "But don't you think I should know what to expect? To prepare me for my turn?"

"Everyone's experience is different, Bella." Edward can literally hear Charlie demanding his support. "And there's no guarantee your father's transition will in any way..."

"That's crap, and you know it." She rolls her eyes at Edward. "You're just trying to score points with my dad."

Charlie chuckles lightly. "Don't be mad at him, Bells. He's just looking out for you."

"I'm looking out for me, too! Dad, look. There is no way I'll be able to focus on anything else while this is happening to you. I'll be worried and anxious and just no good to anybody." She reaches for his hand and gives it a squeeze. "Please just let me be there."

Charlie looks at his daughter and shakes his head. "I don't know why I bother arguing with you."

Bella leaps up and hugs him. "Thank you, Daddy. This means the world to me."

"I know." He pats her back. "I just hope seeing me like that doesn't traumatize you."

Bella chuckles. "Compared to a childhood with Renee, this will be a piece of cake."

Charlie chooses the day after Christmas for his change, wanting to spend one last holiday as a human. We all spend his last human day at the Denali compound, Charlie eating his favorite foods and taking one last, long nap. Carlisle talks Kate through the process again, as she's quite nervous about changing someone for the first time, while Esme, Emmett, and I take turns sharing our memories. We are explicit and honest per Charlie's request, but Esme and Emmett soothe the savagery by describing the relief of awakening to the sight of their mates.

"And that is all I care about." Charlie takes Kate's hand as she comes to sit beside him. "Waking up for the last time to your beautiful face."

"I know."

"So no matter how much I scream or kick when you bite me." He holds her gaze when she tries to look away. "Don't punk out."

Kate rolls her eyes with a worried laugh. "I won't."

And she doesn't. Even when Charlie screams his way through the actual piercing, causing Bella to cry out in fright, Kate persists, licking his wound closed and kissing his forehead before taking her seat beside him. Bella soon takes her position on the other side of the bed, and Edward does not let go of her hand as he stands behind her.

And together they wait.

True to her word, Bella keeps a steady vigil for the first 36 hours. Aside from human moments and brief, infrequent naps, Bella witnesses the entire first half of Charlie's transition.

But as Edward strokes her hand in the middle of the second day, Bella looks at Kate—her golden eyes ablaze with love and concern—and comes to her feet.

"Call me when he wakes up," Bella says, startling Kate and Edward both. "I'm going back to the house."

"Why?" Kate asks. "Is something wrong?"

"Not at all. I just realized that although I am his daughter, you are his mate. And you should spend these last moments of his human life together because you will be facing the rest of your entire lives together."

Kate blurs around the bed and gives Bella a hug, nearly crushing her with a rush of affection.

"You are every bit as amazing as Charlie said you are." She cups Bella's cheeks with a watery smile. "Thank you."

Bella and Edward take their leave from the room, and as soon as Edward closes the door, he presses Bella against the nearest wall and kisses the daylights out of her.

Startled and more than a little dazed, Bella blinks up at him when they finally come up for air. "What was that for?"

"For you." He kisses her again, soft but sure. "Just because you're you."

"Your bias is totally out of control right now."

Edward takes her hands. "I know how worried you are about your dad, how much you want to see him through this. So for you to let Kate spend this time alone with him is just... it's beautiful, Bella. Just as beautiful as you are."

"Oh." Bella blushes. "Well, if that's how you feel about it..."

She stands on tiptoe to meet his lips and banishes all worries about Charlie's change to the back of her mind.

At least for the moment.

*** W – H – W – D ***

Charlie awakens on the third day to a rousing reception from his impatient mate. His transition to immortality is smooth, outside of his initial panic that he might hunt down Bella and drain her.

"Only because you're the only human in a ten-mile radius," Kate reassures Bella over the phone. "Most vampires experience some form of this anxiety in the first weeks of their change. It will pass."

Through twice daily video chats and constant reassurance from his mate, Charlie makes it through the roughest patch of his transition, and after five months, he is finally strong enough to see Bella. Their happy tears are well-earned and a joy to see.

And more tears are shed a few weeks later when Kate officially becomes Mrs. Charlie Swan, much to the delight of her new stepdaughter. The ceremony is lavish and beautiful, and Kate has zero regrets about giving Alice and Tanya free designing reign.

"We should go into business together!" Alice coos as Kate's diamond-dusted dress glimmers during her first dance with Charlie.

"Who could afford you?" Irina asks. "That dress alone cost a million dollars!"

"We could just throw weddings for each other!" Tanya cries. "Carmen and Eleazar will be next then you and Jasper."

"That's a great idea!" Alice cries then frowns. "But who will you marry?"

"Myself!" Tanya tosses her hair over her shoulder. "A true match made in heaven."

As Charlie spent his entire life in Forks, he cannot wait to see the world through immortal eyes. So he and his bride set off on an extended honeymoon, sending postcards and trinkets from all over the world. Their tales of adventure ignite a latent wanderlust in Carlisle and Esme, and they eagerly join the Swans in Europe, leaving Alice and Jasper in charge.

Well, Jasper, mainly. The only charge Alice can handle is her platinum card.

(And you can tell her I said that.)

About three years later, Bella and I finish college on time and with zero debt. And when I cross the stage with my diploma in hand, I am struck with a tremendous sense of pride. Not only in my own accomplishments but in the confident brunette I am privileged to call my best friend.

Bella Swan has surprised us all with her poise, determination, and strength. The girl who once fretted about the age difference between her and Edward is completely indifferent to it now, finding a delightful kind of pleasure in being older than he is.

Even when Emmett calls her a cougar.

And even to the point of opting for graduate school at Oxford in lieu of spending the summer burning from the inside out. Edward is nothing but supportive of her plans—and not just for the thrill of living near Carlisle and Esme again in merry old England—and thinks he might do a little studying himself.

Independently, of course. Attending some professor's lecture holds no thrill for a telepath.

But a year into her masters courses, Bella finds herself more fascinated by her conversations with Edward than anything assigned in her customized curriculum. The more she talks to him, the more time she wants to spend with him... and the more time she wants to spend with him, the more she sees the futility of pretending she has a human future.

"I just wanted to know I could do it," she tells Edward one night. "That I could handle Oxford and keep up with my human peers. Now that I know that, I can peacefully say goodbye to this Bella."

"Are you..." Edward swallows hard. "Are you saying you're ready? To change?"

"Yes." She blushes at the sheer joy on his face. "I am ready to change, to become your supernatural equal and your wife."

"My wife?" His eyes nearly pop out of his head. "What?"

"I want it all with you, Edward." Bella takes his hands. "The same body, the same life, the same last name. We can do it in any order you want, but this... this is the life what I want, and you are the one I want it with."

Once Edward picks his jaw off the floor, he lifts Bella from her feet and twirls her around, his golden eyes alight with love. He calls Carlisle, Bella calls me, and together our family raises a collective shout of joy.

At last, our clan will be fully complete.

*** W – H – W – D ***

Bella decides to marry Edward before becoming a vampire so Renee can enjoy the last major event of her daughter's human life. Though tempted to have the wedding in their meadow in Forks, Bella opts for candlelight at twilight in an ancient British castle. Eleazar performs the brief but lovely ceremony, and when Renee bursts into tears as Edward kisses her daughter, none of us can blame her.

(But I'm not crying. Vampires can't do that, you know.)

"Thank you, Rose," Edward whispers as we waltz at his wedding. "Thank you so much."

"I'm eventually going to get tired of your gratitude. But not for a very long time."

I look over his shoulder to see Emmett doing the twist with Bella. "In all honesty," I continue. "Going to see Bella changed my life just as much as it changed yours. It helped me appreciate Emmett more, for one thing."

"And it brought you and Carlisle closer."

"Yeah." I smile over at my sire who is now dancing with Renee. "It's nice to not be so angry at him all the time."

"And it helped me see you as more than a prissy pain in the ass who is too spoiled for his own good." I grin at him. "Most of the time."

Edward nods thoughtfully. "In other words, this has been all about you."

The music comes to an end, and I bop him upside the head. "Duh."

Once Renee is safely back in the states, we immediately prepare for Bella's change. Though Edward is willing to give her a real honeymoon while she's human, Bella prefers to wait.

"I don't want anything holding us back," she tells him. "Nothing to make us nervous or fearful or anything except together. If we wait until I'm immortal, we can make love for weeks on end without even getting tired."

Edward's eyes darken. "Shall I just bite you right now?"

"Tempting." She kisses the tip of his nose. "But I want to make sure we're both adequately supported."

To do so, Bella enlists Carlisle, Charlie, and me to be in the room when it happens. We pretend I'm only there for Bella, but I know she wants me here for Charlie too. After all this time, I'm still his favorite Cullen, and knowing that warms my heart as nothing else quite does.

Edward lays Bella atop a huge bed in the middle of a room in what amounts to an old stable on the edge of the property surrounding Cullen Castle, surrounding her with pillows, blankets, and every material comfort. They share a long, passionate kiss before Edward takes a deep breath, turns her head to one side, and sinks his teeth into her neck.

I grip Charlie's hand as Bella screams, and Carlisle supports Edward as he tearlessly weeps into her skin.

"I'm sorry, love." He seals the wound shut with a final kiss. "I am so sorry."

Carlisle pulls away Edward just as Bella's body goes into convulsions, and we stand silently by, knowing there is nothing to be done. Edward is far too nervous to sit still, so we take turns pacing with him. Watching my best friend suffering this way is borderline unbearable—though powerfully reminded of Emmett's transition, I cannot imagine how Bella's father and mate are feeling right now—and I wonder how we will survive the next three days.

But because she's Bella, she does something unexpected.

On the morning of the third day, with another fifteen hours to go, Bella stops moving. She suddenly sits up, opens her eyes, and fixes her crimson gaze on Edward.

"Hey, you," she says.

Edward gapes at her for a full ten seconds before he finds his voice. "Bella?"

She comes elegantly to her feet, sweeping her wavy, chocolate hair out of her face. "In the frozen flesh."

"That's our cue," Charlie mutters, waving once at Bella before he, Carlisle, and I fly out of the room. And from the sensual sound of things, Bella and Edward won't be coming out of there for a long time.

And for two people with eternity stretching out in front of them, I mean a really, really long time.

"Hey, there." Emmett meets me outside our family's home. "Are you okay?"

"Yes." I come to a stop, grinning up at my husband. "Better than okay."

Emmett kisses me tenderly. "That's all I needed to hear."

He takes me by the hand and leads me inside, closing the heavy door behind us. Bella and Edward will join us later—like a few days later—and we will teach her how to enjoy her new body and make the most of her new life. There will ups and downs, setbacks and successes, and a host of crazy experiences even Alice won't see coming.

But for this moment... this moment right here, everything is perfect. We are happy, we are together, and everything is perfect.

And considering all other possibilities, I can't think of a better place to end a story.

Can you?

* * *

 **THE END.**

 **Thank you all SO MUCH for your rousing support for this story. It would only be half as good—and nowhere near as long—if not for your enthusiasm for these characters and my writing. So many recs, favorites, and nearly 5,000 reviews (as this last chapter posts), all of which is UNHEARD OF for a canon-based, drabblish, Rose/Bella friendship fic in which Edward barely appears. I could never thank you enough for making this story so successful, but I hope you all know just how grateful I am.**

 **My older children don't like saying "goodbye," so I'll follow their example and simply say, "See you."**

 **LOVE AND LIGHT TO YOU ALL!**

 **Completed: March 16, 2018**


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